Ramon Llull: Life, Doctrine, and Literary Works
Ramon Llull: Doctrinal Literature
Christian doctrine expresses all the ideas that were defended during the Middle Ages. The church was dedicated to educating all sectors of society, especially the most powerful, such as kings, nobles, and knights, to Christianize the ruling feudal class. Christian ideas were spread among a largely illiterate audience, an audience that *listens*. Theatrical presentations became a valuable resource to capture the attention of believers: first through religious ceremonies and later in complex Latin dramatic representations characterized by the use of Catalan and an elaborate stage.
Ramon Llull’s Life
Married with two children, Ramon Llull was initially interested in literature as a courtly activity. However, he experienced a profound conversion that led him to refocus his life. He left his family, the court, and his wealth to put himself in the service of God. He became convinced of a triple mission: to convert the “infidels,” to write books to combat errors in high beliefs, and ultimately, to prepare missionaries of the Christian faith. He produced work written in both Catalan and Latin throughout his life.
Lullian Art
Llull learned the Arabic language to advance his endeavors. He wrote his first major works in Arabic, Latin, and Catalan. Through art, the core of the Lullian system, this issue was resolved after he retired to meditate deeply on it as a hermit on a mountain. This is known as the *illumination of Randa*, which Llull interpreted as a supernatural revelation.
The Didactic Novel: *Book of Evast and Blaquerna* and *Felix*
These works have a profoundly ideal and exemplary biographical character. Llull created two characters, Blaquerna and Felix, who include aspects of his own life. In *Blaquerna*, we find the “Book of the Lover and the Beloved,” a collection of 365 verses or aphorisms. The character Felix, encouraged by his father, begins a journey that leads him to discover the world of reality and spirituality. For example, “exemplum” is a short story with moral and didactic content. The seventh part of *Felix*, concerning animals, is related to the famous *Book of Beasts*, very much in the tradition of doctrinal literature. In this work, we also see a presence in the formula of the sample, which is distracted while the sense that we want to communicate is intensified.
Poetry
The poetry of Ramon Llull is clearly autobiographical. It has been said that he is the “first real self in Catalan literature,” with which to express emotional and dramatic feelings. Both one and the other are also a true justification of his projects, and they bring them out to suffer and fail to see how desperate they are.
Ramon Llull as a Literary Figure
Not all of Llull’s writing has a literary purpose, but he always wants to lead the reader to his ideological ground and convince them. He demonstrates great ability as a writer, mastering the traditions and techniques of literature. Ultimately, his goal is to use literary themes of his time, which had an important public interest, to promote his doctrine. His efficiency is expressed in the literary strength of the images he created and the moral impact they can have on the reader.