Medieval Hispanic Studies in Memory of Alan Deyermond Ed. by Andrew M. Beresford, Louise M. Haywood, and Julian Weiss (review)

Throughout the later years of his career, homage volumes to Alan Deyermond have appeared and been favorably received. This latest volume, however is very special. Twelve of Professor Deyermond’s British colleagues, many of whom were his graduate students in England, have come together to pay one final tribute to the intellectual legacy of this distinguished hispanomedievalist. In addition to the articles, a personal and heartfelt “Foreward” (xiii-xv), to the volume by Ruth Deyermond, his daughter, is included. In it she tells of his extraordinary research, his commitment to his students and his dedication to his family. She notes how “extraordinary a privilege it was to grow up with a parent who takes such joy in his work”.

The editors begin the tome with an introduction (1-9), that includes a brief summary of Deyermond’s salient accomplishments and prestigious awards. They continue with “Deyermond’s Laws of Philology”: a continuation of Gustave Lanson’s first three which call for reading of the text. Deyermond adds, “Believe what it says on the frontispiece and not the cover. Always check the accuracy of citations rather than relying on the accuracy of someone else. Bibliographical accuracy is an obligation, not an option”. Accuracy and precision were hallmarks of his scholarly passion, only equaled by his commitment to “mentoring younger generations of hispanomedievalists from across the world”.

In the article, “Sanctity and Prejudice in Medieval Castilian Hagiography: the Legend of St. Moses the Ethiopian” (11-37), Andrew Beresford examines the legend of Moses the Ethiopian (c. 330-405), a black saint, whose race and ethnicity were viewed in distinct manners by the Castilians: as moros, conversos, and cristianos. In “The Image of the Phoenix in Catalan and Castilian Poetry from Ausiàs March to Crespí de Valldaura” (39-69}, Roger Boase expands upon Deyermond’s research within the fifteenth century. He explores color symbolism, the metaphor of constancy in love, chastity, loyalty, royalty, victory, immortality and self-destruction. Furthering the scholarship of Deyermond on sentimental romance, Louise Haywood writes “On the Frontiers of Juan Rodríguez del Padrón’s Siervo libre de amor” (71-90). She reflects on generic relations and linguistic analogues. In the examination of the manuscript she hopes to reopen other aspects of cultural and generic borders of the genre for subsequent research. Geraldine Hazbun’s contribution, “Memory as Mester in the Libro de Alexandre and Libro de Apolonio” (91-119), examines the significance of memory in the mester de clerecía and mester de juglaría. She notes that the concept of memory in the Middle Ages includes literary invention, necessary for the preservation of the history of antiquity. The subject of this fine article is especially noteworthy since these two literary works are contained in a single muanuscript, Escorial K-3-IV, a favorite of Professor Deyermond. In his article “Advancing on ‘Álora’” (121-138), David Hook recalls the discussions between Deyermond and himself about the interpretation of this late fifteenth century ballad. Hook concludes that in all probability the “principal interest of this ballad for its earliest audiences…lay in the practical, human, military, and moral points that it makes, …rather than the poetry”, which is well taken. The late Stephen Reckert’s contribution, entitled “Time is of the Essence: Essence, Existence and Reminiscence in Two Portuguese Poets” (139-148), examines Francisco Sá de Miranda and Luis de Camões’ poetry in the light of the works of their classical and Spanish predecessors. Nicholas Round offers “Gómez Manrique’s Exclamación e querella de la gobernación: Poem and Commentary” (149-174), as his tribute to Deyermond. This less extensively studied work is important as a commentary on the confused and dangerous politics of the late fifteenth century. In...