LA ATALAYA DE LAS CORONICAS DEL ARCIPRESTE DE TALAVERA: EDICION CRITICA DE PARTE DEL TEXTO CON UN ESTUDIO INTRODUCTORIO Y VOCABULARIO

Abstract

<p>The Atalaya de las coronicas, the most extensive work of the Arcipreste de Talavera, is an historical summary which covers Spanish history from the beginnings of the Visigothic era to the middle of the fifteenth century, alotting to each king a chapter called coronica. This work, its author being the Arcipreste, is of particular interest for medieval literary history, but has mostly remained unknown to scholars. In 1970 the last Raul A. del Piero edited only a small section of the work, concluding with the coronica of the Visigothic king Amalarico. The present edition covers the period from the reign of Teudis (531-548), successor of Amalarico, to that of Fernando III (1217-1252). The edition is preceded by an Introductory Studdy which is divided into five chapters. Chapter one gives a broad outline of fifteenth-century historiography. Chapter two focuses on the content and the date of the work. One of the Atalaya's manuscripts (Codex Egerton 287 of the British Museum), denominated L, ends with the reign of Juan II; the other manuscripts only reach of the third year of the reign of Enrique III, predecessor of Juan II. The text of the Atalaya has an extensive lacuna; it omits the last part of the reign of Alfonso II and the five following reigns. The additional part of L was probably written after 1483, much later than the Atalaya's main part which was composed in 1443, as stated by the author himself three times in the text. The additional part of L, therefore, cannot be attributed to the Arcipreste who died, at the latest, in 1468. Chapter three deals with the sources. From the beginning of the work to the reign of Alfonso II, the basic source is the Primera Cronica General. In this section, the author of the five Atalaya occasionally elaborates certain passages of the sources with glosses, dialogues or narratives. The section Fruela II-Vermudo III derives from the Cronica de Veinte Reyes. From Fernando I to Alfonso VIII; the Atalaya is based again on the Primera Cronica General. The reigns of Enrique II and Fernando III are drawn either from the Cronica de Veinte Reyes or from the Cronica de Castilla. Later sections of the Atalaya derive respectively from the Tres Cronicas, the Cronica de Alfonso XI and Lopez de Ayala's Cronicas. Most of the additional part of the manuscript L is based on texts derived from the Cronica del Halconero de Juan II. Chapter four analyzes the style. The Atalaya in general reflects the arid and monotonous narrative of the medieval chronicle. However, it also shows characteristic traits of the Arcipreste's style -as exhibited in the Arcipreste de Talavera-, especially in some passages in which the author elaborates the material of the sources. Chapter five deals with the edition, Atalaya's extant manuscripts are described are their textual relationship is examined. Finally, the editorial policy is stated. Eight manuscripts of the Atalaya have been preserved, but three of them derive from one of the extant manuscripts and, therefore, have not been used for our edition. The basic text of the edition is the above-mentioned Codex Egerton 287 of the British Museum. Most variant readings from the other four manuscripts are given in the textual notes. The edition ends with a Glossary of unusual terms.</p>