Title: El mudejarismo en la obra de don Juan Manuel
Description: The vast scholarly literature on the 14th century Castilian author don Juan Manuel has, with very few exceptions, neglected the decisive impact of Hispano-Semitic cultures in his early formation, political ideals and literary output. This study is but a first effort at a synthesis in this direction. There are four basic themes in Juan Manuel's scholarship reexamined throughout this monograph: (1) his ideas about education; (2) his didacticism and ethics; (3) his literary art; and (4) the "personalist" imprint in his works. The first chapter, offers a synthetic overview of trends and lacunae in Juan Manuel scholarship. The second chapter, evaluates his pedagogical ideas against the multicultural backdrop of the Western and Eastern heritages in XIII and XIV century Castile. Relevant themes discussed therein include the influence of Alfonso X and Sancho IV, Juan Manuel's cultural experience in Toledo and Murcia, the "mirror of princes" tradition, his political education, his concept of government, and the influence of the Dominican order. The third chapter examines Juan Manuel's contribution to the development of the 'exemplum' in the West and in Castile. The fourth chapter discusses aspects of his literary art such as the creative usage and deployment of proverbs, the influence of gnomic literature and literary enjoyment as an ideal projected onto the concept of "fabliella". The fifth and final chapter will explore both Eastern and Western models for the centrality of first person narration in his works, his personal approach to the prologues, the personalism of his historiography, and his concept of the author.