Between Politics and Literature: Discoursive Strategies in Don Juan Manuel

Abstract

Don Juan Manuel composed his main works ( Libro del cavallero et del escudero, Libro de los estados, El conde Lucanor ) in the period of time when he was at war with his King Alfonso XI, and therefore his political and military activity was more intense. Many critics have pointed out this inconsistency between urgent political matters and the time he could dedicate to literature, aside with the presumably inconsistency traditional criticism finds between the high moral values enshrined in his writings, and the unescrupulous character of his public behavior. Analyzing a personal letter addressed to King Alfonso VI of Aragon, as well as certain passages of his Libro de las tres razones , and some enxemplos from El conde Lucanor ,we can conclude that there must be an intimate relationship between political practices and discursive strategies, relationship that allows us to understand the assumed inconsistencies of this autor both as a writer and as a top political figure in the 14th century Castile.