Juan Ruiz, Libro de buen amor

Florence Curtis (University of Oxford)
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Along with the

Poema de Mio Cid

, the fourteenth-century

Libro de buen amor

or

Book of Good Love

is considered the most significant long poem of medieval Spain. Poetic virtuosity and raucous humour ensured the

Libro

’s considerable influence on later generations of Castilian poets. Indeed, the work is now thought, at least in part, to have inspired the writing of that late fifteenth-century classic of Spanish literature,

La Celestina

. It has even been described as the work of a pre-modern Cervantes –– the writer widely held to be the author of the first modern novel.

The following lines give a brief synopsis of the Libro. Beginning with a prose sermon and lyrics in praise to the Virgin Mary, prefatory material also includes a debate in sign language between Greeks and Romans in which

2314 words

Citation: Curtis, Florence. "Libro de buen amor". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 August 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14267, accessed 21 November 2024.]

14267 Libro de buen amor 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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