Abstract
The Poema de Yusuf is a 14th-century poem based on the Quranic version of the story of Joseph. Traditionally, this text has been studied in the exegetic tradition vis-à-vis Islamic theology. Nonetheless, in this paper I argue for a critical reapproximation to the text that is more sensitive to the political and artistic realities of the Iberian mudéjar community whence it was crafted. The term mudéjar describes both the communities of Muslims who continued to live in Christian Iberia after the Reconquest, as well as the artistic productions of these communities, which often blended Islamic, Christian, and Hebrew traditions. The Poema de Yusuf is one of the best examples of this cultural hybridity, exemplified by the fact that it was composed in aljamiado (Castilian-Romance using Arabic characters). Dedicated to the Quranic tradition, this literature can be read as a defiant reaction to increasingly hostile policies that restricted mudéjar culture in late-medieval Christian Iberia, including the use of the Arabic language itself. At the same time, the anonymous poet adapted his source material to better align with the artistic currents of the region. I highlight some key characteristics that Poema de Yusuf shares with contemporary Christian narratives of the cuaderna vía tradition, specifically the emphasis on memory and textual interpretation found also in Libro de Apolonio and Libro de Alexandre (c. 1250). My analysis thus highlights the lasting legacy of a dynamic, hybrid mudéjar culture in the Peninsula, and in so doing rejects the myth of the Christian Reconquest.
Presenters
Alexander KorteStudent, Ph.D. Hispanic Literatures and Cultures, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, United States
Digital Media
This presenter hasn’t added media.
Request media and follow this presentation.
