The Sacred Space Of The Virgin Mary In Hispanic Literature From Gonzalo De Berceo To Ambrosio Montesino

In a present secular age, understanding the Virgin Mary is often a barrier to students and scholars of medieval literature. Understanding how she was symbolized by certain sacred spaces and objects may lie even further from modern-day sensibilities. How can a female saint be a treasure chest? How can she be a spring? How can she be a bridal chamber? Finding out about sacred spaces, such as these, will bring readers closer to exceptional literary works of the Middle Ages. The Sacred Space of the Virgin Mary in Medieval Hispanic Literature is a first complete study of sacred space as a symbol of the Virgin’s body in peninsular literatures in the Middle Ages. It examines verdant and architectural spaces, such as Garden, Spring, Fountain, Temple, Tabernacle, Bedchamber, and Fortress), using contemporary documents and liturgies to bring new interpretations and deepen understanding of each ‘space’. Sacred space is an essential concept for medieval authors. It features in Gonzalo de Berceo’s miracles, hymns, and praise of the Virgin. It has a presence also in Alfonso the Wise’s lyrics and miracles of the Virgin as well as in Juan Gil de Zamora’s miracles. Each chapter evaluates evidence across the period, examining works by later poets and authors, such as Alfonso Álvarez de Villasandino, Íñigo López de Mendoza (the Marquess of Santillana), Fray Ambrosio Montesino, Jaume Roig, and Isabel de Villena. LESLEY TWOMEY is Professor of Medieval and Golden Age Art and Literature at Northumbria University. She is the author of several books about peninsular Marian literature. Cover: Antoni Peris, Virgen de la leche, Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, cat. 240, 242, 243, 2409, 2844, 4229. Reproduced with permission of the Generalitat Valenciana. C OVER DESIGN: SIMON LOXLEY An imprint of Boydell & Brewer Ltd PO Box 9, Woodbridge IP12 3DF (GB) and 668 Mt Hope Ave, Rochester NY 14620–2731 (US) THE SACRED SPACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN MEDIEVAL HISPANIC LITERATURE LESLEY K. TWOMEY THE SACRED SPACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN MEDIEVAL HISPANIC LITERATURE LESLEY K. TWOMEY from Gonzalo de Berceo to Ambrosio Montesino Colección Támesis SERIE A: MONOGRAFÍAS, 381 THE SACRED SPACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN MEDIEVAL HISPANIC LITERATURE Tamesis Founding Editors †J. E. Varey †Alan Deyermond General Editor Stephen M. Hart Series Editor of Fuentes para la historia del teatro en España Charles Davis Advisory Board Rolena Adorno Andrew M. Beresford John Beverley Efraín Kristal Jo Labanyi Alison Sinclair Isabel Torres LESLEY K. TWOMEY THE SACRED SPACE OF THE VIRGIN MARY IN MEDIEVAL HISPANIC LITERATURE FROM GONZALO DE BERCEO TO AMBROSIO MONTESINO TAMESIS © Lesley K. Twomey 2019 All Rights Reserved. Except as permitted under current legislation no part of this work may be photocopied, stored in a retrieval system, published, performed in public, adapted, broadcast, transmitted, recorded or reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior permission of the copyright owner The right of Lesley K. Twomey to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 First published 2019 Tamesis, Woodbridge ISBN 978 1 85566 323 7 T