Los paratextos en las crónicas gallegas: Una aproximación a los lazos personales y de poder (1550-1615)

Abstract

In this paper, three Galician tales printed both within and outside the Galicianterritory between mid-fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century will be explored. The legal —approvals and licences— and the authorial preliminaries—dedications and forewords— had a significant impact on the interpretation and comprehension of the writings. In regard to the first, the regal normative exhibited trepidation in the face of the need to regulate ideologically the pieces that emerge from the press, although as demonstrated, he did not always adhere to the legislation.The author’s dedications and prefaces to the audience, on the other hand, left open the possibility that the chronists’ intent was to complete their works, with societal dissemination as their primary objective. Therefore, the focus of this work will be on examining the personal ties developed among the chronists and their committees, as well as the latter group with the civil servants of the Castilla’s council, the ecclesiastic power of the Spanish Crown. The paper demonstrates that these power networks facilitated the publication of literary works and the ascending chronist movement.