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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Writing the Antithesis of María of Aragón: Alvaro de Luna's Rendering of Giovanni Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris

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Abstract: In forming the canon of works that exemplify the debate on women in the fifteenth century, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula, there is often one text omitted. This work was composed by perhaps the most notorious figure in Spanish history: Alvaro de Luna. Although more commonly known as the king’s lifelong companion and privado, Luna was also the author of Libro de las claras e virtuosas mugeres . Among the auctoridades that Luna credits, he does mention one medieval writer as a source of inspiration: Giovanni Boccaccio. His work, De claris mulieribus was written a mere 73 years prior to Luna’s Castilian version and it can be argued that Luna’s 15th century work is an adaptation or imitation of its Italian predecessor. The texts present themselves similar in purpose, content and structure. While some critics have dismissed the intrinsic similarities between the two texts, this article will discuss how Alvaro de Luna chose to craft a 15th century adaptation of Boccaccio’s obra maestro and give examples of the debt that Luna owes to the Italian version. It will be discussed in this article how Luna utilized his work to not only instruct Maria on how she should behave, but to also exemplify women who were good and virtuous and thusly, offering the antithesis of what Luna believed Maria was. Keywords: Alvaro de Luna; John II: Maria of Aragon; Giovanni Boccaccio; Debate on Women in the Middle Ages; pro-feminine texts; medieval biography Resum: Quan es parla del canon dels textos que formen el debat de les dones a l’edat mitjana, especificament a la Peninsula Iberica, moltes vegades ens cal un sol text: el Libro de las claras e virtuosas mugeres per don Alvaro de Luna. Al Libro , Luna cita a les figures patristiques, la Biblia i els escriptors classics i els filosofs com a fonts de referencia. Pero, entre les autoritats que cita Luna, s’esmenta una autoritat medieval: Giovanni Boccaccio. Boccaccio va escriure la seua obra mestra, De claris mulieribus, 73 anys abans i es pot proposar que l’obra de Luna, del segle XV, es una veritable adaptacio o imitacio a la seua versio italiana. En aquest article es vol proposar que hi ha una explicacio al fet de per que Luna va triar l’obra boccacciana com a model per a la seua. Tots dos textos son semblants en el seu proposit, en el contingut i en l’estructura. Investiguem com Alvaro de Luna tria l’obra boccacciana per produir una adaptacio castellana. Tambe donem alguns exemples concrets del deute respecte del text italia. S’investiga com Luna utilitzava aquesta forma d’escriptura per a produir un text per instruir la reina, quant al seu comportament. A mes, Luna volia donar exemple amb nombroses dones virtuoses per demostrar com de dolenta era ella, al seu parer. Tambe per aquest text, Luna podia oferir l’antitesi del que pensava que Maria exemplificava. Paraules clau: Alvaro de Luna; Joan II de Castella; la cort de Castella; Maria d’Arago; Giovanni Boccaccio; el debat de les dones a l’edat mitjana, els textos pro-femenins, la biografia medieval