AP Spanish Lit Summaries

AP Spanish Lit Summaries Conde Lucanor, Exemplo XXXV - Don Juan Manuel - Correct Answer El Conde Lucanor (1335) by Don Juan Manuel is an anthology of various didactic stories, meaning that each story aims to teach a lesson. In each "Exemplo" — note that modern Spanish spelling hadn't yet formed — the fictional Count Lucanor asks advice from his wise and worldly right-hand man, Patronio. Patronio references both Muslim and Christian stories that help Count Lucanor make good decisions and provide good advice to other nobles. In "Exemplo XXXV (35)," often known by the title of the entire book, El Conde Lucanor, Count Lucanor starts a conversation with Patronio in which he explains that a man he knows wants to marry a very strong-willed woman, but he doesn't know if it's the right decision. Patronio, like all the chapters of El Conde Lucanor, shares the fable of a young man without much money who found that if he married a woman from a wealthy family, he could earn her dowry and get rich. The only problem was that this woman was very strong-willed and seemed "untameable," to the point that her father was desperate for someone who "might take her out of my house." The man was of good character and always helped his father make ends meet. When the man gets married to the woman, both his family and the woman's family anticipate that they will find the man dead the next morning because of how aggressive and strong-willed his new wife is. However, on the night of the wedding when the couple is finally alone, the man orders his dog to bring water to wash his hands, a Muslim practice at the time. The woman has not said anything yet, so this is the first impression the woman is getting of the man. When the dog doesn't bring the water, the man kills him using his sword in a bloody scene. After sitting back down and leaving the woman shocked, the man also orders that the cat and the horse bring water for his hands "Romance de la pérdida de Alhama" - Anónimo - Correct Answer The poetic voice begins the romance in medias res (in the middle of the action). It features the Moorish king walking through his city when he receives news that Alhama, a strategic hill in Al-Andalus, has been conquered by Christians. The king is unable to cope with the news and burns the letters in the fire and kills the messenger ("las cartas echó en el fuego / y al mensajero matara"). Meanwhile, the chorus — "¡Ay de mi Alhama!" — represents the voices of the despairing Muslims faced with the news. In stanzas 3 and 4, the king seeks to mount a resistance. When he gets off a mule and gets on a horse, ("descabalga de una mula / y en un caballo cabalga") he seeks to make himself look more powerful and more