Ephemeral stories: plausible example and dialogue in the «Llibre de meravelles»

Abstract

Abstract: The Llibre de meravelles (Felix or the Book of Wonders) by Ramon Llull includes an extensive collection of plausible stories, used by the characters to show their views about the world or to express their position in the debate. The stories are created ad hoc by the author and their life begins and ends with that single enunciation within the novel. That fleeting, ephemeral condition occasionally gives them the appearance of mere narrative hypothesis. Some of these stories even seem to have a provisional or unstable plot which emphasizes their illusory nature. The writing of the book reveals an enormous effort of experimentation, visible not only in the design of the stories, but also in the «dialogue» that is established among them. This desire for experimentation is finally projected onto the reader, as the text truly becomes a guide for inventing new stories. That meta-exemplary dimension is the clearest sign of originality of Llull’s proposal in the scene of Medieval Exemplary Literature.

Key words: Catalan Literature, Medieval Literature, Ramon Llull, Felix or the Book of Wonders, Plausible example, Story, Dialogue, Narrative Experimentation.