Metonymy, Materiality and Agency. Reflections on the Centrality of the Book in the Political Project of Alfonso X (1252-1284)

Abstract

The centrality of the book in the political and cultural project of Alfonso X has received increasing attention in recent years, especially from the perspective of codicology. These studies have allowed us to learn much more about the production and circulation process of the Alfonsine codices. However, the mechanisms through which the book acquires its fundamental meaning and function in Alfonso’s political and cultural plan have been only partially addressed, from perspectives that oscillate between a symbolic interpretation and a more pragmatic one. In the present work, we will try to problematize some aspects linked to this centrality, through an analysis of the metonymic foundations of the king-book relationship and its discursive articulation. We will propose that this foundation constitutes the key that allows us to think of the book as a material manifestation of the king's agency.