"Consolatoria super obitu inclyti principis Hispaniarum Iohannis" de Alfonso Ortiz: introducción, edición crítica, traducción y comentario

Abstract

The present work submitted as a PhD thesis has the aim of studying from a philological point of view, the Latin text Consolatoria super obitu inclyti principis Hispaniarum Iohannis, written by the Castilian canon Alfonso Ortiz, who lived in the late 15th century in the time of the Catholic Monarchs (Isabel and Fernando), on the death of Prince John, first and only son of the sovereigns. The core of this work is the critical edition (the first complete edition ever made) on the comparison of two extant manuscripts (S and St), the second having the Spanish self-translation of the first. On the basis of this critical text we study the literary references as well as its structure and the literary genre to which it may be ascribed and, besides, we point out some features of the language used therein (Latin), the scope and characteristics of the self-translation and other style and rhetorical topics (e.g. the use of rhythmic clausulae at the end of sentences). Several appendices are added to complete and improve the text-study From that study it may be concluded that although the work follows a long time proven tradition based on medieval religious Ideas, the author, nonetheless, continuously shows within the text that he is willing to adapt that tradition into the new tunes of early Renaissance, not only by means of language and style features, but also through matter nuances that made it clear that life/death concepts were gradually shifting from the medieval times to the ideas of the new epoch. As the value of human life was rising, it needed a more attentive, profound and meticulous consolation through both conceptual and rhetorical arguments...