The Book of Good Love
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| Author | Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita |
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| Original title (if not in English) | El libro de buen amor IPA: [elˈli.β̞ro.deˈβ̞we.naˈmor] |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre(s) | Ministry of Clergy |
| Publisher | None |
| Released | 1330 |
| Media Type | Manuscript |
The Book of Good Love (El Libro de Buen Amor), considered to be one of the masterpieces of Spanish poetry, is a semi-biographical account of romantic adventures by Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita, dating from 1330.
The work is considered as the best piece in the medieval genre known as Mester de Clerecía.
The Book of Good Love is an account of Juan Ruiz's attempts to seduce various women into having sex with him. In order to do this he enlists the help of a woman he calls Trotaconventos (Trots-between-monasteries), who tries to convince various women to sleep with the Archpriest.
1709 verses long, the Book begins with prayers and a guide as to how to read the work, followed by stories each containing a moral and often comical tale. These include the tales of the attempted seductions of Mrs Endrina (Doña Endrina), a battle between Carnival and Lent, a love affair with the "Serranas" (bestial, ugly and grotesque women from the mounatains) in which the Archpriest is arguebly raped, a love affair with a female Moor, a love affair with a widow, and a nun. Another chapter tells of the argument between the Archpriest of Hita (Arcipreste de Hita) and Love (Don Amor).
The work is famous due to the difficulty and variety of interpretations which can be applied to it. The title The Book of Good Love is inferred from the text, and who or what Good Love is is not revealed by the author.
[edit] External links
- Libro de buen amor, original text in Spanish
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