AP Success - AP English Language: Medieval Spain in the Contemporary Mind

This passage is excerpted from a recent work that examines popular conceptions of the history of medieval Spain

If you have read anything about medieval Spain, then you probably know about convivencia—the peaceful “coexistence” of Muslims, Christians, and Jews for nearly eight hundred years on the Iberian peninsula. The story is invariably told in the same way: “once upon a time,”1 after the Muslim invasion of the Iberian peninsula in 711, a “culture of tolerance”2 was created among Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Tolerant adherents of these three Abrahamic faiths shared philosophical and scientific learning, translating previously unknown sources (especially the works of Aristotle) for the rest of Europe. “But,” the author or narrator intones in his gravest voice, “this world too quickly vanished. Greed, fear, and intolerance swept it away. Puritanical judgments and absolutism snuffed out the light of learning.” Then the author or narrator laments the loss of this vanished world: “it was truly a bright light in what was largely a dark and ignorant medieval landscape. Its loss is one of the great tragedies in history.”3 This is almost always followed by a didactic—and dramatic—moral about the relevance of medieval Spain for contemporary problems: “Humanity has never completely found the way back. Medieval Spain might help point the way.”4 This is a fairy tale for adults who, like children, know nothing about the actual (medieval) world it attempts to describe. The story of convivencia fulfills the requirements of the genre, replete as it is with exotic journeys in faraway lands and epic battles between noble heroes and depraved villains. And like all fairy tales, this story of convivencia tells us much more about the world of storytelling in which it was created than about the historical past or objective reality, on which it is only loosely based. While some of the recent books on convivencia have gestured in the direction of scholarly discourse, more often than not, they cannot resist the temptation to indulge our basest tendencies to Orientalism and exoticism. In nearly every popular recounting of convivencia, images of an Islamic locus amoenus abound: we hear of gardens, bath-houses, exotic fruits, and enchanting mosques. Chris Lowney, in A Vanished World, emphasized that “daily life was transformed as exotic new species like cotton, figs, spinach, and watermelon burgeoned in fields nourished by new irrigation techniques.” The “luxury and sophistication” of the Islamic city of Cordoba “undoubtedly surpassed anything found elsewhere in Europe.” Maria Rosa Menocal’s syrupy confection, The Ornament of the World, simmers under a thick layer of Orientalized cheese. Some of her chapter titles themselves suffice to prove the point, “The Palaces of Memory,” “The Mosque and the Palm Tree,” “A Grand Vizier, A Grand City,” “The Gardens of Memory,” and “Sailing Away, Riding Away.” And when these authors describe Islam, it is with the wonderment and delight of a tourist. We, their audience, are supposed to share in their surprise—and in the delicious irony—that Islam was a peaceful, tolerant religion, while Christianity was persecutory, cruel, and violent. 1 Maria Rosa Menocal, Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Christians, and Jews Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain (New York: Little, Brown, 2002), 5. 2 The subtitle of Menocal’s Ornament of the World. 3 Chris Lowney, A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005). 4 Lowney, A Vanished World, 14.

Question 1

Multiple choice

The author most likely uses the term "convivencia" in the context of medieval Spain to describe:

  • The military alliances between different religious groups.

  • The cultural and philosophical exchanges among Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

  • The economic dependencies among various communities.

  • The legal systems governing the interactions between different faiths.

  • The architectural influences shared among different religious groups.

Question 2

Multiple choice

In lines 7-9, the phrase "a 'culture of tolerance'" is used to suggest that:

  • Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived without any conflicts.

  • Different religious communities respected each other's beliefs.

  • There was a legal framework ensuring peaceful cohabitation.

  • The term might be an oversimplification of a complex reality.

  • The religious leaders collaborated to maintain peace.

Question 3

Multiple choice

The author implies that the narrative of convivencia is:

  • A well-documented historical fact.

  • A myth perpetuated by modern historians.

  • A story created to promote interfaith harmony.

  • An accurate depiction of medieval Spanish society.

  • A narrative with some basis in reality but exaggerated over time.

Question 4

Multiple choice

The term "fairy tale" (line 26) suggests that the author views the story of convivencia as:

  • Enchanting and magical.

  • Unrealistic and overly simplified.

  • A valuable lesson for contemporary society.

  • A historical account with some elements of truth.

  • An important cultural heritage.

Question 5

Multiple choice

According to the passage, the story of convivencia often includes which of the following elements?

  • Detailed accounts of daily life in medieval Spain.

  • Criticism of the current historical understanding of the period.

  • Illustrations of the shared architectural styles.

  • Descriptions of the intellectual exchanges among different communities.

  • Exaggerated portrayals of harmony and collaboration.

Question 6

Multiple choice

The author’s tone in discussing the portrayal of convivencia can best be described as:

  • Nostalgic.

  • Skeptical.

  • Admiring.

  • Indifferent.

  • Enthusiastic.

Question 7

Multiple choice

In lines 13-16, the author's use of the phrase "this world too quickly vanished" implies that:

  • The peaceful coexistence was a transient phase.

  • The end of convivencia was abrupt and unexpected.

  • Historians regret the end of this era.

  • The transition was a result of external forces.

  • The changes were inevitable due to internal conflicts.

Question 8

Multiple choice

The passage suggests that the story of convivencia is primarily used to:

  • Educate people about medieval Spanish history.

  • Provide a moral lesson for contemporary issues.

  • Promote tourism in Spain.

  • Encourage academic research on the period.

  • Celebrate the achievements of medieval scholars.

Question 9

Multiple choice

The reference to Chris Lowney and Maria Rosa Menocal (lines 41-53) is used to illustrate:

  • Different historical interpretations of convivencia.

  • The impact of convivencia on modern literature.

  • How contemporary authors romanticize the past.

  • The diversity of sources on medieval Spanish history.

  • The academic debate on the authenticity of the convivencia narrative.

Question 10

Multiple choice

The passage implies that the author believes the story of convivencia:

  • Should be reevaluated in light of new historical evidence.

  • Remains an essential part of understanding medieval Spain.

  • Is more reflective of modern values than historical realities.

  • Has been accurately portrayed in most historical accounts.

  • Needs to be preserved to foster interfaith understanding.

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