The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel in Early Modern Spain

The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel in Early-Modern Spain refreshes and broadens our contemporary view of the intellectual and literary history of Golden Age Spain. It demonstrates that the idealization of love, nature, and country life were not the only motives behind the composition of the pastoral novel. Rather, The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel explores the efforts of the novelists behind these works 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 de Vega, Dominick Finello considers the works of Luis Gálvez de Montalvo, Antonio de Lofrasso, Bernardo de González de Bobadilla, Gaspar Mercader, Cristóbal Suárez de Figueroa, Bernardo de Balbuena, and Gabriel de Corral. These works consistently represent the Spanish pastoral vogues of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, signalling new combinations of narrative conventions and revealing shifting literary currents hitherto unperceived. This wide range of source material ensures that The Evolution of the Pastoral Novel in Early-Modern Spain is a significant intervention into the history of the novel.