The consolidation of law and the development of legal writing during Spain’s Golden Age not only helped that country become a modern state but also affected its great literature. In this
fascinating book, Roberto González Echevarría explores the works of Cervantes, showing how his representations of love were inspired by examples of human deviance and desire culled from
legal discourse.
González Echevarría describes Spain’s new legal policies, legislation, and institutions and explains how, at the same time, its literature became filled with love stories derived from
classical and medieval sources. Examining the ways that these legal and literary developments interacted in Cervantes’s work, he sheds new light on Don Quixote and other writings.
