1st Edition

Gonzalo de Berceo and the Latin Miracles of the Virgin A Translation and a Study

By Robert Boenig, Patricia Timmons Copyright 2012
    198 Pages
    by Routledge

    198 Pages
    by Routledge

    In Gonzalo de Berceo and the Latin Miracles of the Virgin, Patricia Timmons and Robert Boenig present the first English translation of a twelfth-century Latin collection of miracles that Berceo, the first named poet in the Spanish language, used as a source for his thirteenth-century Spanish collection Milagros de Nuestra Señora. Using the MS Thott 128, close to the one Berceo must have used, Timmons and Boenig provide both translation and analysis, exploring the Latin Miracles, suggesting how it was used as a sacred text, and placing it within the history of Christians' evolving understanding of the Virgin's role in their lives. In addition, this volume explores Berceo's reaction to the Latin Miracles, demonstrating that he reacted creatively to his source texts as well as to changes in Church culture and governance that occurred between the composition of Latin Miracles and the thirteenth century, translating it across both language and culture. Accessible and useful to students and scholars of medieval and Spanish studies, this book includes the original Latin text, translations of the Latin Miracles, including analyses of 'Saint Peter and the Lustful Monk,' 'The Little Jewish Boy,' and 'The Jews of Toledo.'

    Contents: Preface; Part 1 The Latin Miracles: Gonzalo de Berceo's Milagros de Nuestra Señora and his Latin sources; The Latin Miracles and the History of the Virgin Mary; The Latin Miracles and spiritual reading; The style and artistry of the Latin Miracles. Part 2 The Latin Miracles: Translation: The Latin Miracles: translation; Explanatory notes. Part 3 Berceo's Milagros: The life and times of Gonzalo de Berceo and his audiences; The Fornicating Sexton; The Wedding and the Virgin; The Jews of Toledo; The Little Jewish Boy; The Pregnant Abbess. Part 4 The Latin Miracles: The Thott Latin MIracles of the Virgin; Bibliography; Index.

    Biography

    Patricia Timmons is an Instructional Assistant Professor of Spanish at Texas A&M University, USA. Robert Boenig is Professor of English at Texas A&M University, USA.

    'Timmons and Boenig have produced a book to be welcomed. Their study is not only long overdue, but will become a crucial point of departure for scholars hoping to shed light on the complex relationship between Berceo's Milagros and its Latin original.' Bulletin of Spanish Studies 'Timmons and Boenig have produced a book that offers something for everyone. ... this book provides an overview of the intersection of literary, religious, and linguistic cultures in twelfth and thirteenth-century Spain, as well as an introduction to the emergence of vernacular literature and devotion in medieval Europe beyond the Iberian Peninsula. It will be a valuable addition to both personal and academic libraries.' Speculum