Rhetoric communication in 16th century’ chronicles. Moral writing in "Repúblicas del Mundo" by Friar Jerónimo Román Zamora

Abstract

Friar Jerónimo Román Zamora was a chronicler that published in 1575 Repúblicas del mundo. It’s a chronicle about sixteen civilizations with essential laws and customs inspired by a “natural light” that allowed to coexist with other men. This chronicle is part of Spanish rhetoric tradition during Old regime because judges the historical events in agreement with Christian values. Therefore this is not an ethnographic work: its main aim was persuade to readers through morality government procedures. So Friar Jerónimo recounts a special kind of history that reprobates sinfulness. A theoretical prelim will explain how readers understood historical descriptions, at the same time I’ll study which was the specific way for understanding both addressee (reader) and text (chronicle). Finally this work investigates communicative conditions that constructed the structure and functioning of social morality.