This book examines the patterns of conflict between the individual and society as depicted in Spanish medieval and Golden Age literature. The theme of the individual in conflict with society is most significant since it reflects the human condition and consequently serves as the foundation for numerous works written from the twelfth through the seventeenth centuries. Besides providing an introduction to the societal ideals and values underlying early Spanish writings, this book schematizes the basic types of conflict revealed in literature and attempts to clarify why authors selected particular solutions to the kinds of conflict they chose to treat.

Zusammenfassung
"It would be of great use to scholars in Renaissance and Golden Age literature...". (John E. Keller, University of Kentucky)
"...for the interested reader who is not a specialist but who wants to obtain a quick, general understanding of some of the principal themes underlying Spanish literature, and who is also interested in an overview of the Spanish mentality during the periods indicated, this text would be very useful." (Samuel Saldivar, U.S.M.A., West Point)
"This book ... provides a competent account of a wide range of texts and the critical commonplaces to which they have given rise." (Paul Julian Smith, Journal of Hispanic Philology)

Inhalt
Contents: An introduction to the societal ideals and values underlying Spanish medieval and Golden Age literature.