Originally published 1575 | ||
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Classical Studies books The Book of Good Love, Lazarillo de Tormes, Amadís de Gaula, The Decameron, Exemplary Novels | ||
Don Juan Manuel's Tales of Count Lucanor, in Spanish Libro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio (Book of the Examples of Count Lucanor and of Patronio), also commonly known as El Conde Lucanor, Libro de Patronio, or Libro de los ejemplos (original Old Castilian: Libro de los enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio), is one of the earliest works of prose in Castilian Spanish. It was first written in 1335.
Contents
The book is divided into four parts. The first and most well-known part is a series of 50 short stories (some no more than a page or two) drawn from various sources, such as Aesop and other classical writers, and Arabic folktales. Story 28, "Of what happened to a woman called Truhana", a version of Aesop's The Milkmaid and Her Pail, was claimed by Max Müller to originate in the Hindu cycle Panchatantra.
Tales of Count Lucanor was first printed in 1575 when it was published at Seville under the auspices of Argote de Molina. It was again printed at Madrid in 1642, after which it lay forgotten for nearly two centuries.
Purpose and structure
A didactic, moralistic purpose, which would color so much of the Spanish literature to follow (see Novela picaresca), is the mark of this book. Count Lucanor engages in conversation with his advisor Patronio, putting to him a problem ("Some man has made me a proposition..." or "I fear that such and such person intends to...") and asking for advice. Patronio responds always with the greatest humility, claiming not to wish to offer advice to so illustrious a person as the Count, but offering to tell him a story of which the Count's problem reminds him. (Thus, the stories are "examples" [ejemplos] of wise action.) At the end he advises the Count to do as the protagonist of his story did.
Each chapter ends in more or less the same way, with slight variations on: "And this pleased the Count greatly and he did just so, and found it well. And Don Johán (Juan) saw that this example was very good, and had it written in this book, and composed the following verses." A rhymed couplet closes, giving the moral of the story.
Treatments derived from Tales of Count Lucanor
Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew has the basic elements of Tale 44, "Of what happened to a young Man on his Wedding Day".
Tale 7, "Of that which happened to a King and three Impostors" tells the story that Hans Christian Andersen made popular as The Emperor's New Clothes.
Tale 23, What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market is the familiar fable The miller, his son and the donkey.
The stories
The titles in the following list are those given in James York's 1868 translation into English.
The Prologue 1. Relates to what happened to a Moorish king of Cordova. This story is based on the life of Al-Hakam II: his battles repulsing the last Norman attacks, and the struggle against the Zirids and the Fatimids in northern Morocco. 2. Treats of that which happened to Lorenzo Suarez Gallinato, and Garciperez of Vargas, and another knight 3. Treats of that which happened to Don Rodrigo el Franco and his knights 4. Of a Hermit who sought to know whom he should have for his companion in Paradise, and of the leap made by King Richard of England 5. Of that which happened to the Emperor Frederick and Don Alvar Fañez, with their wives 6. Of that which happened to the Count of Provence and Saladin the Sultan of Babylon 7. Of that which happened to a King and three Impostors 8. What happened to a King with a man who called himself an Alchymist 9. Of that which happened to two Cavaliers who were in the service of the Infant Prince Henry 10. Concerning what happened to a Seneschal of Carcasona 11. Of that which happened to a Moor who had a Sister pretending to be alarmed at any ordinary occurrence 12. Of that which happened to a Dean of Santiago, with Don Illan, the Magician, who lived at Toledo 13. What happened to King Ben Abit, of Seville, with Queen Romaquia, his wife 14. Concerning what happened to a Lombardian, in Bologna 15. What Count Fernan Gonzales said to Nuno Lainez 16. Of what happened to Don Rodrigo Melendez de Valdez 17. Concerning that which happened to a great Philosopher and a young King, his pupil 18. Relates what happened to a Moorish King, who had three Sons, and who desired to know which would become the best Man 19. Of that which happened to the Canons of the Cathedral Church of Paris, and to the Friars of Saint Francis, called Minors 20. Of that which happened to a Falcon and a Heron, and, more particularly, to a cunning Falcon, which belonged to the Infant Don Manuel 21. Recounts what happened to Count Fernan Gonzalez, and the Reply which he gave to his Vassals 22. Of that which happened to a King and his Favourite 23. What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market 24. Of what a Genovese said to his soul when about to die 25. What happened to the Crow, with the Fox 26. What happened to the Swallow, with the other birds, when he saw the flax sown 27. Relates what happened to a Man who carried a very precious Treasure hung round his neck, and who had to pass a River 28. Of what happened to a woman called Truhana 29. Of that which happened to a Man who was suffering from a malady and whose liver had to be cleansed 30. Of what happened to a man who through poverty and lack of other food, was reduced to eat some peas 31 What happened to a Cock and a Fox 32. What happened to a Man catching Partridges 33. Relates to what happened to a Man with his Friend who had invited him to dinner 34. What happened to the Owls and the Crows 35. The advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor, when he said he wished to enjoy himself, illustrated by the example of that which happened to the Ants 36. Of that which happened to a good Man and his Son, who boasted of having many Friends 37. Relates to what happened to the Lion and the Bull 38. Relates to the advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor, when he expressed a desire to obtain a good reputation; and the example was what happened to a Philosopher who was suffering from a severe illness 39. Of what happened to a man who was made Governor of a large territory 40. Of that which happened to Good and Evil, illustrated by what occurred to a Man with a Madman 41. Of the association between Truth and Falsehood 42. Of what happened to a Fox who pretended to be dead 43. What happened to two blind Men travelling together 44. Of what happened to a young Man on his Wedding Day 45. Of what happened to a Merchant who went to buy brains 46. What happened to a Man with a grey Sandpiper and a Swallow 47. What happened to the Devil, with a Woman who went on a pilgrimage 48. The advice which Patronio gave to Count Lucanor when informed that a Man had offered to teach him the art of foretelling coming events, which he exemplified by what happened to a good Man who became first rich and afterwards poor by the intervention of the Devil 49. What happened to Don Lorenzo Xuares Gallinato, when he beheaded the renegade Priest 50. Concerning that which happened to Saladin and a Lady, wife of a Knight in his service