Classical motifs and humanist models in the «apologue of the god Contento» from Guzmán de Alfarache (1.1.7)

Authors

  • Sandra Romano Martín
Keywords: Guzmán de Alfarache, moral fable, council of the gods, Renaissance Humanism, intertextuality

Abstract

At the beginning of Mateo Alemán’s Guzmán de Alfarache, there is a moral fable concerning the mythical story of the god Contento. This brief episode has been properly studied since its publication, and it has led to very different interpretations on its sources, which range from Lucian of Samosata to Italian humanists such as Leon Battista Alberti, Anton Francesco Doni, and Marsilio Ficino. This paper analyses the passage considering the various proposals, delving into its traditional scene structure and its compositional features. Indeed, the passage is a recreation of the scene the council of the gods, clearly made from Greco-Roman elements. Nevertheless, its meaning and content are rather clear examples of the notable success achieved by Italian humanists in Spain at that time.

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How to Cite
Romano Martín, S. (2012). Classical motifs and humanist models in the «apologue of the god Contento» from Guzmán de Alfarache (1.1.7). Myrtia, 27, 297–312. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/myrtia/article/view/159481
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