Research Symposium

BIO

Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Dara Dereje is a sophomore at Florida State University with a passion for both the humanities and medicine. Combining her love for history with academia, she has chosen to focus this specific project on the former. Other than being involved in UROP, she is also an active member of the African Student Association and is going into her second year as an Exploratory Peer Advising Leader, where she supports fellow students in navigating their academic journeys. With two years remaining at Florida State, she is eager further expand her campus involvement and professional development.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Diego Corrientes and the History of Spanish Banditry

Abstract

The idea of banditry is not a new one especially in Spanish history. Throughout decades stories have been told both orally and in writing about sly tricksters and bandits and women falling in love. One of the most famous bandits, Diego Corrientes, has lived a life that has been iconic within Spanish history. The role he has played is a testament not only to the Spanish culture and the time, but the way historical stories have evolved. To research him, I used literature and media that told the story of his life – both fiction and non-fiction to gain a better understanding of who he was and became. Research that I have done has showed that much of what is written about the bandit has evolved through myth. There is not a lot on his actual life, rather an idea of a person that has contributed to a larger literary culture. Much of what I found shows that the Spanish took a small idea of a historical bandit and used it to further an entire genre based on bandits, eventually evolving into songs, movies, and love stories. This idea is part of a larger literary culture that spans even outside of Spain that values stories with a “Robin Hood” type character – like Corrientes himself.

Keywords: History, Spanish, Bandits, Myth