D. Finello, The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel in Early Modern Spain
XII+212 p., 175 x 255 mm, 2009, Hardback, ISBN 9782503528946 , EUR 50
The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel in Early-ModernSpain refreshes and broadens our contemporary view of theintellectual and literary history of Golden Age Spain.It demonstrates that the idealization of love, nature,and country life were not the only motives behind thecomposition of the pastoral novel. Rather, The Evolution of thePastoral Novel explores the efforts of the novelists behind theseworks to establish literary circles, fellowships, and academies,all attempts to revive the literary dialogue of the period.
In addition to the novels of Miguel de Cervantes and Lope deVega, Dominick Finello considers the works of Luis Gálvez deMontalvo, Antonio de Lofrasso, Bernardo de González deBobadilla, Gaspar Mercader, Cristóbal Suárez deFigueroa, Bernardo de Balbuena, and Gabriel de Corral. These worksconsistently represent the Spanish pastoral vogues of the latesixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, signalling newcombinations of narrative conventions and revealing shiftingliterary currents hitherto unperceived. This wide range of sourcematerial ensures that The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel inEarly-Modern Spain is a significant intervention into the historyof the novel.