Alfonso Martínez de Toledo
Encyclopedia
Alfonso Martínez de Toledo (ca. 1398 – ca. 1470), known as the Archpriest
of Talavera (Arcipreste de Talavera), was a Castilian
poet and writer. Born in Toledo, Spain
, he studied in that city, spent some time in Catalonia
and Aragón
, and served as a prebendary
at the cathedral of Toledo
. He then became archpriest at Talavera.
He wrote two hagiographies, Vida de San Isidoro (Life of Saint Isidore
) and Vida de San Ildefonso (Life of Saint Ildephonsus), as well as the historical compilation Atalaya de las crónicas.
; the second, a satire lampooning women of all social stations; the third and fourth, the complexion
s of human beings and their varying amatory inclinations. Phlegmatic men were “lazy and negligent... neither with a propensity to neither laugh nor cry… taciturn, solitary, half-mute... suspicious...” In it he describes the personalities of men of varying complexions: Melancholic men "have no sense of temperance in anything they do, and only bang their head against the wall. They're very iniquitous, petulant, miserable...”
Martínez employs bombastic language latin
ized by the device known as hyperbaton
, and also employs rhymed prose and homeoteleuton
. The value of this work resides in the fact that Martínez also employed vernacular
language, capturing popular and colloquial speech, thus making his work a precursor to La Celestina
.
The first part of Corbacho is focused on earthly love, which Martínez rejects by pointing out all of its pitfalls. In the second part, Martínez applies his arguments against earthly love to a criticism of women in general, repeating such stock arguments, for example, that women are the source of man's perdition. Martínez's chapter titles alone indicate only too well his opinions on the opposite sex: “How a woman is jealous of anyone more beautiful than she,” “How a woman is disobedient,” “How a woman lies even while under oath,” “How a man should watch out for a drunken woman,” “How a woman loves whomever she pleases regardless of age.”
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara's
Triunfo de las donas (1445) includes 40 feminist arguments meant to counter the misogyny
of Martínez's Corbacho. Rodríguez's work presents arguments for the superiority of women to men.
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
of Talavera (Arcipreste de Talavera), was a Castilian
Castilian people
The Castilian people are the inhabitants of those regions in Spain where most people identify themselves as Castilian. They include Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, and the major part of Castile and León. However, not all regions of the medieval Kingdom of Castile think of themselves as Castilian...
poet and writer. Born in Toledo, Spain
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
, he studied in that city, spent some time in Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
and Aragón
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, and served as a prebendary
Prebendary
A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral...
at the cathedral of Toledo
Cathedral of Toledo
The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Toledo, Spain, seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Toledo....
. He then became archpriest at Talavera.
He wrote two hagiographies, Vida de San Isidoro (Life of Saint Isidore
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
) and Vida de San Ildefonso (Life of Saint Ildephonsus), as well as the historical compilation Atalaya de las crónicas.
Corbacho
He also wrote the work known as Corbacho o Reprobación del amor mundano (1438), inspired by Boccaccio's Corbaccio (dated to either 1355 or 1365). Martínez’s Corbacho is his best known work. It consists of four parts, the first of which is a treatise against lustLust
Lust is an emotional force that is directly associated with the thinking or fantasizing about one's desire, usually in a sexual way.-Etymology:The word lust is phonetically similar to the ancient Roman lustrum, which literally meant "purification"...
; the second, a satire lampooning women of all social stations; the third and fourth, the complexion
Complexion
Complexion refers to the natural color, texture, and appearance of the skin, especially that of the face.-History:The word "complexion" is derived from the Late Latin complexi, which initially referred in general terms to a combination of things, and later in physiological terms, to the balance of...
s of human beings and their varying amatory inclinations. Phlegmatic men were “lazy and negligent... neither with a propensity to neither laugh nor cry… taciturn, solitary, half-mute... suspicious...” In it he describes the personalities of men of varying complexions: Melancholic men "have no sense of temperance in anything they do, and only bang their head against the wall. They're very iniquitous, petulant, miserable...”
Martínez employs bombastic language latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ized by the device known as hyperbaton
Hyperbaton
Hyperbaton is a figure of speech in which words that naturally belong together are separated from each other for emphasis or effect. This kind of unnatural or rhetorical separation is possible to a much greater degree in highly inflected languages, where sentence meaning does not depend closely...
, and also employs rhymed prose and homeoteleuton
Homeoteleuton
Homeoteleuton, also spelled as homoeoteleuton and homoioteleuton, is the repetition of endings in words...
. The value of this work resides in the fact that Martínez also employed vernacular
Vernacular
A vernacular is the native language or native dialect of a specific population, as opposed to a language of wider communication that is not native to the population, such as a national language or lingua franca.- Etymology :The term is not a recent one...
language, capturing popular and colloquial speech, thus making his work a precursor to La Celestina
La Celestina
La Celestina , actually called Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea or Comedia de Calisto y Melibea, in English Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea), is a work composed entirely in dialogue published by Fernando de Rojas in 1499...
.
The first part of Corbacho is focused on earthly love, which Martínez rejects by pointing out all of its pitfalls. In the second part, Martínez applies his arguments against earthly love to a criticism of women in general, repeating such stock arguments, for example, that women are the source of man's perdition. Martínez's chapter titles alone indicate only too well his opinions on the opposite sex: “How a woman is jealous of anyone more beautiful than she,” “How a woman is disobedient,” “How a woman lies even while under oath,” “How a man should watch out for a drunken woman,” “How a woman loves whomever she pleases regardless of age.”
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara's
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara
Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara , also known as Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, was a Galician writer and poet, considered the last poet of the Galician school.Born in Padrón, he was born to a hidalgo family...
Triunfo de las donas (1445) includes 40 feminist arguments meant to counter the misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
of Martínez's Corbacho. Rodríguez's work presents arguments for the superiority of women to men.
Further Reading
- Joachim Küpper: »Perception, Cognition and Volition in the Arcipreste de Talavera«, in: Stephen G. Nichols, Andreas Kablitz und Alison Calhoun (eds.): Rethinking the Medieval Senses. Heritage, Fascinations, Frames, Baltimore 2008, pp. 119–153.
External links
- Vida de Sanct Isidoro (digital text)
- Arcipreste de Talavera o Corbacho (digital text)