Williamsport Area High School Spanish teacher Dr. Inti Yanes-Fernandez is set to publish his second book, “The Cid and King Arthur as Hegemonic Myths: Political Myth-Making and Intericonicity in the Christianization of the Iberian Peninsula and Britain,” through Amsterdam University Press.
The book, which will be released in 2023, examines the formation and development of Spanish epic hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (the Cid) and King Arthur as mythical units with a symbolic cultural function.
“My research interest focuses on medieval and cultural studies, among other areas,” Yanes-Fernandez said. “I am very interested to understand how myths and epic figures and narratives function in and relate to the complex dynamic of power relations and identity formation. This relates to cultural biopolitics, literary analysis and cultural anthropology.”
Yanes-Fernandez said the two medieval mythical figures were always his research targets.
“Their myth-making and narratives linked to them show the complex genesis of Spanish and British monarchies during the Christian expansion in these territories,” he said.
While targeted readership is the academic public, Yanes-Hernandez said, generally those interested in historical, literary and social studies topics also can gain a deeper understanding of the complex dynamic between language, myth and power relations.
The forthcoming book follows his first, “Before the Chrysantems: Essays on Poetic Creation and Aesthetic,” published in 2021. Additionally, he just reached a contract agreement with Editorial Casa Vacía, of Richmond, Va., to publish a third book.
A Havana, Cuba, native, Yanes-Fernandez holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Havana (Cuba); a master’s in Theology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece); and a doctoral degree in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in Cultural and Medieval Studies from Texas A&M University.
He’s worked in education for 25 years, having served as a faculty member at the University of Havana and Texas A&M University. He’s also taught at Boston Trinity Academy and most recently at Dexter Southfield Upper School in Brookline, Mass., before accepting his position at WAHS at the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
“My first year teaching at WAHS has been excellent,” he said. “It’s been very rewarding. I have enriched my teaching experience with the feedback and support from supervisors, department colleagues and students.”
