Judeophilia in medieval storytelling: Jewish anonymity in conde lucanor

Abstract

The following article examines the representation of the Jew in the tales compilation, El Conde Lucanor by Juan Manuel (1282-1348). I argue that this religious group is alluded to in several exempla, only recognizable by the professions attributed to them by European folklore: physicists, moneylenders, alchemists, and necromancers. Studying the out-group interactions under the mechanisms of re-fencing (Allport 1954) and extended contact hypothesis (Wright 1997), I will analyze the literary techniques used by Juan Manuel to portray these “Jewish” occupations in positive terms while silencing the protagonists’ religious affiliation as a means to minimize the growing popular animosity toward this group.