Another Manner of Humanistic Literature during the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries: the vitae Christi by Isabel de Villena and Cristóbal de Fonseca
Roxana RECIO
Original title: Otra forma de literatura humanística de los siglos XV y XVI: las vitae Christi de Isabel de Villena y Cristóbal de Fonseca
Published in Isabel de Villena (1430-1490)
Keywords: Franciscan literature, Isabel de Villena, Vita Christi.
This article analyzes the vitae Christi written by Isabel de Villena (fifteenth century) and Cristobal de Fonseca (sixteenth century) from the the point of view of the European tradition and the reform brought about by the Franciscan order, which was in favor of reaching the people in the vernacular. Issues such as alleged femininity, use of popular language with sentimental overtones, dependence on fictions from different periods, debt to specific sources, and structuring works with a specific reader in mind are examined. After reviewing twelve specific points on those two works, it is concluded that, while not denying the enormous importance of Fonseca’s work, Isabel de Villena, institutes a literary manner that will become fundamental in the development of religious narrative in the Iberian peninsula.
Narrative as a Vehicle for Group Cohesion: Experiential Learning, Collective Experience and Sublimation in the Vita Christi by Isabel de Villena
Miryam CRIADO LÓPEZ-PICAZO
Original title: La narración como vehículo de cohesión grupal: aprendizaje experiencial, experiencia colectiva y sublimación en la Vita Christi de Isabel de Villena
Published in Isabel de Villena (1430-1490)
Keywords: Franciscan literature, Isabel de Villena, Vita Christi.
This article explores narrative strategies used by Isabel de Villena to achieve her educational objectives: to move, to channel behaviors and, ultimately, to strengthen interpersonal bonds and, therefore, the emotional interconnection of her community. Furthermore, by examining the construction of characters such as Mary and Mary Magdalene, this study also shows the effectiveness of experiential learning, collective experience and sublimation in the process of instruction and indoctrination of the Poor Clares of the Holy Trinity Monastery in the fifteenth century.
