Fiction and education. The medieval fantastic element in Spanish Young Adult Literature

The Middle Ages are a historical period in which real references go side by side with fictional ones in order to build a special type of imaginary. This is the time when the history of literature written in Romance languages begins, and, in consequence, it is unavoidable for young readers to have some knowledge of it. Apart from adaptations, as an attempt at simplification, within young adult literature, authors sometimes opt for drawing the readers' attention to classic works so that those works can be better known. In this way, in some history novels - the focal point of this study-we can perceive a rich intertextual network participating in both historiographical and fictional discourses. The analysis is centered on the trace of fantastic elements and the meaning acquired by them in relation to medieval literary tradition. Finally this type of narrative is connect with general fantasy to fix their impact on literary education of young readers.