Cuatro paisajes de la crónica de Pere MarsiliSalou, Valencia, Xátiva y Mallorca

Abstract

There are some passages in the chronicle written by Pere Marsili in the early fourteenth century, as a result of an altered translation of the Llibre dels fets (Book of Deeds) of king James I of Aragon, that present descriptions of landscapes. Generally they are extensions, or amplificationes, of landscapes already described in the Llibre dels fets, although sometimes they are total innovations of Pere Marsili. Most of the landscapes described usually present information on populations. It is very striking that Marsili emphasizes that the described landscapes are formed by small towns very close to each other. This characteristic appears in the description of orchards, as is the case of Valencia, Xativa or Mallorca. It is likely that this feature refers to the richness of these territories, since the urbanism of small towns nearby indicates that the land can feed the population in a small space. Another important feature is the reference to the protection of the territory, either because there are mountains that serve as defense or by the existence of castles. Likewise, Marsili usually indicates the agricultural production of wheat, oil and wine, as well as if the land is suitable for cattle. Besides these descriptions, Marsili gives extensive details of the Balearic Islands, even the smaller islands. This indicates that Marsili personally knew these places. The description of these landscapes usually coincides with territories to be conquered, although sometimes Marsili uses this resource for strictly literary reasons. There are some Latin neologisms in thesc passages, all taken from the Catalan language. The descriptions of Salou, Valencia, Xativa and Mallorca perfectly represent this literary resource used by Pere Marsili. The description of landscapes in the chronicle of Pere Marsili is a literary resource, a kind of amplificatio, meaning the amplification of information that already appearcd in the original text, in this case· the Llibre dels fets. With this resource, Marsili achicves two objectives: enriching the text with passages in which he can develop his sensibility as an author; and marking the rhythm of the narrative by advancing the military objective whose conquest is to be narrated.