| Abstract: | Spain's earliest historical novel, the Crónica sarracina (c.1430) by Pedro de Corral, marks an important moment in the history of the reception of the legend of Roderick, the eighth-century Visigothic king whose passion for La Cava was blamed for the Muslim invasion of Spain in 711. Corral reformulated the old story, adding a significant new element, Roderick's penitential exile, in a compelling version which inspired many later European re-creations of the legend. This discussion of the innovative presentation of La Cava and of the nature of Roderick's penance, during which he is tempted by a she-devil and finally succumbs to a snake which devours his genitals, will unravel the ambiguities of what purports to be a Christian morality tale, destabilised by a punishment whose expression verges on the pornographic. The essay will also examine the extent to which fiction and fantasy override history in order to explore issues of cultural and historical relevance to fifteenth-century Spain. |
