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Counter-Reformation politics and the Inquisition in the works of Fray Luis de Leon Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Fulton, Joseph Michael Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 05:54:41 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/283926 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 COUNTER-REFORMATION POLITICS AND THE INQUISITION IN THE WORKS OF FRAY LUIS DE LEON by Joseph Michael Fulton Copyright © Joseph Michael Fulton 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN SPANISH In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1999 UMI Number: 9946841 Copyright 1999 by Fulton, Joseph Michael All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9946841 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by J Michael Fulton entitled Counter-Reformation Politics and Che Inquisition in the Works of Fray Luis de Leon and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy IU£hard P Kinkade ^ Dat^e ' ! Date/ ^ ^ / I O i Malcolm Compicello Date Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. .. - 7//6'//6 /S?/ "7 Dissertation Director Richard P Kinkade Date ' 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, without whose help this work could not have been completed. I also wish to thank Jen, my own perfecta casada, for her abiding love and support. I would also like to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Richard Kinkade for his conscientious direction of this dissertation, and to Drs. Dana Nelson and Malcolm Compitello for their valuable input as readers. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS PROLOGUE 7 L HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 30 Origin of the Inquisition 34 Cisneros 53 Erasmus in Spain 61 The Initial Response to Luther 72 The Reaction Against Luther Within Spain 84 The Council of Trent 92 Conclusion 100 2. FRAY LUIS' IMPRISONMENT 103 Reasons for Fray Luis' Arrest 104 Details of Fray Luis' Incarceration 134 Fray Luis' Acquittal and Release 145 Significance of the Trial 146 3. APPLICATION TO FRAY LUIS' PROSE WORKS 149 La perfecta casada 152 De los nombres de Cristo 159 Job 182 Conclusion 203 4. APPLICATION TO FRAY LUIS' POETIC CORPUS 205 Chronology of Poems 206 Ab ipso ferro 219 Light and darkness 230 Stars and harmony 240 Countryside vs. city 249 Ocean/Waves 257 Enemies, Justice, and Guilt 265 Conclusion 273 5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 276 6. WORKS CITED 279 6 ABSTRACT Fray Luis de Leon was incarcerated for nearly five years by the Spanish Inquisition, on the basis of charges brought against him by antagonistic colleagues who disagreed with his scholarly approach. Through a systematic consideration of his writings in light of the sociohistorical climate that gave rise to disputes between him and his detractors, it is evident that a number of themes run through Fray Luis' prose production which can be related directly to his experience as an inmate in the Inquisition's cells. These topoi, found throughout the Salmantine friar's prose, are present also in his poetry. Therefore, by analyzing those prose passages that have a direct bearing on his trial before the Inquisition and by relating those passages to his poetry, we shall gain access to unique avenues of interpretation. The results will offer new insights into Fray Luis' poetry that are not readily apparent through other methods of analysis. This study will afford us an opportunity to see Fray Luis and his works in great detail from a perspective that has not yet been explored. 7 PROLOGUE For centuries, the University of Salamanca has been one of the most distinguished institutions in Europe,' and Fray Luis de Leon was one of the most eminent intellects it ever produced. Though he received recognition in his day principally as a professor of theology and as one of the brightest minds in Spain, the prominent place he holds today in the history of Spanish literature is due chiefly to his poetic corpus, which includes such well-known works as "Vida retirada" and "A Salinas." He is recognized as a personage of singular importance by those who study Spanish verse. Juan Luis Alborg, for example, calls him "la mas excelsa y representativa figura del segundo Renacimiento hispano"" while Bruce Wardropper describes his poetry as being "small in quantity but of impeccable quality.' Damaso Alonso also praises him, saying of the "profesor de Salamanca, el hebraista y el especialista en Escritura, el hombre de caracter mtegro y batallador," that his fame as a poet "crece incesantemente."'* For the natural and seemingly effortless way in which he expresses himself within the boundaries of different poetic forms, as well as for the ' Founded in 1218, the University of Salamanca currently has over 2,000 professors, 1,100 administrators and staff, and 38,000 students, according to its official web page (www.usal.es). J.H. Elliot, Imperial Spain (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1964), states that in the 16"" century there were approximately 7,000 students enrolled (118). Of the institution's importance, Elliot says "there were always representatives of the leading Spanish houses" (118), and that "the Colegio Mayor of Cuenca at Salamanca...produced over the space of fifty years six cardinals, twenty archbishops, and eight viceroys" (311). D.L. Jensen, Renaissance Europe (Toronto: Heath, 1981), lists the University of Salamanca along with those at Bologna, Paris, and Oxford as "among the earliest recognized universities of the West" (22). " Historia de la literatura espanola (Madrid: Credos, 1966), 1.423. ^ Spanish Poetry of the Golden Age (New York: Meredith Corporation, 1971), 12. ^ De los siglos osciiros al de oro (Madrid: Credos, 1958), 232. 8 harmony and beauty of his style. Fray Luis is acknowledged as one of the most significant figures in all of Spanish literary history. This is praise indeed when we consider that by crediting Fray Luis with such genius we place him in the same category with Garcilaso, Gongora, Unamuno, Lorca, and the anonymous author of the Cantar de Mio Cid, among others. The importance of his role in the development of Spanish literature can be seen in the mark he left on the University of Salamanca,^ where a statue of him has been erected in his honor. It may also be inferred from the prominent place given Fray Luis in survey courses and anthologies of Spanish verse. The number of articles and books written about Fray Luis in and of itself bears ample testimony to the fact that critics throughout the ages since his passing have considered him worthy of the highest accolades.^ In the edition of his works published by the Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos/ the bibliography covers nearly 40 pages.^ One of the most distinguishing and poignant aspects of the life of the Salmantine professor is the fact that he spent nearly five years imprisoned by the Inquisition in ' The University of Salamanca's web page notes that, while the roster of former professors and students includes such figures as Fernando de Rojas, Juan Ruiz de Alarcon, Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Gongora, and Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, only Fray Luis, Miguel de Unamuno and a handful of others have received the honor of having a classroom named after them, (www.usal.es) * The MLA bibliography lists a total of 296 works written about Fray Luis de Leon from 1963 to date.