El complot judaico como motor narrativo en Amaya de Francisco Navarro Villoslada

Abstract

The Jewish Plot as a Narrative Engine in Amaya by Francisco Navarro Villoslada

Amaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII, a late historical novel by the fundamentalist Catholic writer Francisco Navarro Villoslada, is one of the narratives that throu- ghout the 19th century contributed to forging a strong sense of identity among the Basque people. This article focuses on the role played by anti-Semitic prejudice in the construction of the story, illustrating how Amaya’s Judeophobia corresponds perfectly to an imaginary conspiracy, already present in previous works by Navarro Villoslada (El Antecristo and Doña Blanca de Navarra) and compatible with the Catholic historiography of that time. Finally, it is argued that the providential and messianic vision of history that permeates the novel can be fully manifested only by contrast with an adversary connoted in the theological sense as the Jewish people.

Received: 24-01-2021

Admitted: 02-11-2021