Viewing Disability in Medieval Spanish Texts : : Disgraced or Graced / / Connie Scarborough.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter AUP eBook Package 2016-2018
• VerfasserIn: Scarborough, Connie,
• Place / Publishing House: Amsterdam : : Amsterdam University Press, , [2018]; ©2018
• Year of Publication: 2018
• Language: English
• Series: Premodern Health, Disease, and Disability ; 1
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (268 p.) :; 8 color plates

This book is one of the first to examine medieval Spanish canonical works for their portrayals of disability in relationship to theological teachings, legal precepts, and medical knowledge. Connie L. Scarborough shows that physical impairments were seen differently through each lens. Theology at times taught that the disabled were "marked by God," their sins rendered on their bodies; at other times, they were viewed as important objects of Christian charity. The disabled often suffered legal restrictions, allowing them to be viewed with other distinctive groups, such as the ill or the poor. And from a medical point of view, a miraculous cure could be seen as evidence of divine intervention. This book explores all these perspectives through medieval Spain's miracle narratives, hagiographies, didactic tales, and epic poetry.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Disability Theory and Pre-Modern Considerations -- 1. Lameness - Los Contrechos -- 2. Blindness - Los Ciegos -- 3. Deafness and Inability to Speak - Los Sordomudos -- 4. Leprosy - Los Gafos -- 5. Cured by the Grace of God - Los Milagros -- 6. Conclusions -- Works Cited -- Index