Illegitimacy is an old and complex issue in human life and societies. It is also an excellent source of literary material, as shown by the many works in which illegitimacy is either a theme or a topic. In Reading Illegitimacy in Early Iberian Literature, Geraldine Hazbun explores the concept of illegitimacy through a diverse corpus of medieval and early modern Iberian literary texts. Focusing on children born outside marriage, Hazbun's book aims to prove that illegitimacy is a fluid and multifaceted concept. Another central point of the book is “to tell a different story of illegitimacy, to see and to value illegitimacy as story” (2). Hazbun succeeds at both tasks. In doing so, she demonstrates that literature informs the understanding of illegitimacy, beyond the limits of literary works. It would be impossible to cover all early Iberian literature that deals with illegitimacy in a book of these dimensions, and Hazbun is aware of notable absences, such as the picaresque novel. Nevertheless, the works analyzed provide an ample spectrum of representations of illegitimacy, an amplitude facilitated by the range of periods and genres covered in the book.
The book is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1, “The Scope of Illegitimacy,” traces perceptions of illegitimacy in antiquity and the Middle Ages. Chapter 2, “Epic Illegitimacy: The Cantar de Mio Cid and Las Mocedades de Rodrigo,” argues that voice is crucial for the making of both legitimacy and illegitimacy in two epic poems about the Castilian historical figure and epic hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar.
Chapter 3, “Split Identity: Illegitimacy in the Romancero,” examines split identity as a theme for cultural hybridity in a selection of ballads (romances) with illegitimate heroes. This chapter is problematic, especially due to the assumption that all selected ballads are “traditional” (16). Despite its medieval origins, the romancero viejo (old ballad) is mostly known through early modern sources. Deeply rooted in oral tradition, the genre gained popularity among cultivated people by the end of the fifteenth century, which led to the composition of cultivated ballads and to the rise of different romancero subgenres. Chapter 3 lacks critical consideration of how cultivated authorship or ballad subgenre could have influenced representations of illegitimacy in a given text. This is particularly noticeable in the analysis of ballads about Bernardo del Carpio. The bibliography suffers from significant omissions. Diego Catalán's seminal study was not engaged in the examination of Espinelo. Catalán and other relevant names are missing from discussions of the relationship between epics and balladry, or ballad text and versions. Mercedes Díaz Roig's Romancero viejo is the main source of ballads in this book. A much better choice would have been the anthologies edited by Giuseppe Di Stefano or Paloma Díaz-Mas; among other issues, the abundant and erudite notes of Di Stefano or Díaz-Mas would have prevented misinterpretation of textual segments, such as Alicante (78–79).
Chapter 4, “Narrating Illegitimacy: The Novelas Ejemplares,” concentrates on three of Miguel de Cervantes's exemplary novels, and claims that, in the context of early modern narrative, illegitimacy is “about making and unmaking” (145). This chapter is not free of inaccuracies, such as the remark on the Novelas ejemplares having been published before Cervantes's Don Quixote (143). Chapter 5, “Lope de Vega's Bastard Heroes: Pieces and Traces,” discusses illegitimacy in four of Lope de Vega's plays through themes of absence and presence, and parts and whole. The volume's conclusion emphasizes the fluidity and legacy of illegitimacy.
The book has considerable deficiencies in proofreading. The following examples are part of a longer list. The spelling of Spanish names is inconsistent: “Alfonso IX of León” versus “Alfonso VI of Leon” (8–9); “river Ubierna” versus “River Ovierna” (23, 26); “Fernán Gómez” versus “Martin Gómez” (80, 81), among others. In chapter 3, notes 2 and 14 are identical (136, 138), and the entry for “Wolf” is incomplete in the list of works cited (142). Despite its weaknesses, Reading Illegitimacy in Early Iberian Literature is a valuable contribution to current scholarship. Hazbun embarked on a challenging multi-genre analysis. Her results will facilitate further exploration of illegitimacy in other works and disciplines.
