Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Amante Liberal (1996)

This novel develops the stories of Leonisa, stereotyped by the sublimated concept of women of honor, and Ricardo, the embodiment of virile love, chaste and liberal. As the events unfold, the narrative includes separation of characters, shipwrecks, and slavery to end with a happy conclusion. In addition to the descriptions of shipwrecks and penuries in captivity, the author includes interesting descriptions of Muslim local customs.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de El Casamiento Engañoso (1996)

This short novel is structured around the encounter of two friends: ensign Campuzano and licentiate Peralta. The two friends run into each other after Campuzano leaves a hospital in Valladolid where he was being treated for syphilis. He tells his friend the story of his deceitful marriage, which makes the theme of the novel.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de El Celoso Extremeño (1996)

This short novel describes the experience of an old man who marries a young woman, whom he isolates from the material world because he doubts of her fidelity. Despite his extreme efforts, he is unable to impede a young man from reaching his sheltered wife. This novel exemplifies the old proverb that says that a jealous husband knows no rest.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de El Coloquio de los Perros (1996)

This short novel is narrated within El Casamiento Enganoso. It describes the conversation between two dogs that ensign Capuzano overheard at the Hospital in Valladolid during a night of insomnia. The two dogs, Berganza and Cipión reflect upon their sudden ability to speak and decide to tell their life stories to make good use of it. Berganza describes a series of episodes with masters from diverse levels of the Spanish society that resembles a picaresque story.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Don Quijote de la Mancha I (1996)

Written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, El Ingenioso Hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha is a masterpiece of the Spanish literature. The first part of Don Quijote appeared in 1605. In it, Cervantes narrates the story of a nobleman, from the lower ranks of the nobility, whom, after reading too many cavalry books, ends believing that he is a knight-errant who can bring peace, order, and justice to the world. He follows roads on which he encounters himself before reality.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Don Quijote de la Mancha II (1996)

The second part of Don Quijote was published in 1615. While in the first part, the search for knightly adventures were means for Don Quijote to create a new and heroic image for himself in the world, in the second part, the seemingly impossible goal of Part I has been incredibly achieved: Don Quijote has become famous and universally recognized as knight-errant.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Las dos Doncellas (1996)

In this novel, a young and rich nobleman, Marco Antonio, promises to marry two different noble ladies, Todosia and Leocadia: While he has enjoyed the first one, by giving her his word of marriage, he has not done the same to the second one, to whom he has given a signed document of marriage.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Entretenida (1996)

The center of this comedy is the engaño around which a series of variations are practice to reach the main events: the equívoco of Marcela y the doblez of Cristina, who incites Ocaña, Quiñones, and Torrente simultaneously.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Española Inglesa (1996)

The story begins with the sack of Cadiz in 1596 in which Clotaldo, one of the English captains, kidnaps a Spanish girl and takes her back to his country. Clotaldo and his wife, secret catholics, raise the girl, Isabela, in the faith of her parents, teaching her the English language and customs, but also tutoring her in Spanish. As the girl grows older, Ricaredo, son of Clotaldo, falls in love with the beautiful Isabela and obtains the blessing of his parents to marry her. However, the queen of England intervenes to demand the young man to prove himself worthy of the young woman.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Fuerza de la Sangre (1996)

This story tells us how Leocadia, daughter of a noble but poor family, is taken away from her family by Rodolfo, a young libertine nobleman. He rapes her and abandons her on the streets. She returns to her family and tells her parents of her dishonor. While Rodolfo spends the next few years in Italy, Leocadia secretly has a baby and raises him as a cousin. Leocadia reveals the secret to Rodolfo's mother and the two women plot a solution. Eventually, Rodolfo accepts Leocadia as his wife.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Galatea (1996)

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Gitanilla (1996)

The story highlights the strength of love to eliminate class differences and conditions. Don Juan de Cárcamo, a noble young man, falls in love with Preciosa, a young gypsy woman known by her theatrical abilities and candor. The lover leaves behind his parents and his position in society to follow the gypsy's life under the name of Andrés Caballero.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La Ilustre Fregona (1996)

This novel tells the adventures of Tomás de Avendaño and Diego de Carriazo, two young noblemen that, after abandoning their families, arrive at an inn near Toledo in their way to the tuna fisheries of Zahara. Avendaño, falls in love with Constanza, the inn's maid. He decides to become a servant of the inn to be close to her.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de El Licenciado Vidriera (1996)

This short composition narrates the life of Tomás Rodaja. While being a student in Salamanca, he meets a woman that falls in love with him. He scorns her and she recurs to a magic potion to gain his heart, but, instead, causes him to loose his mind, making him believe that he is made of glass.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Rinconete y Cortadillo (1996)

The story of the two characters that give name to this novel frames the events that take place in the courtyard of a man who presides the reunions of Seville's underworld. The older of the main characters, Pedro del Rincon, is the son of a bulero, a seller of indulgences, and the youngest, Diego Cortado, is the son of a tailor. Neither of the two is older than seventeen years and they have left their homes to embrace the freedom of picaresque and criminal life.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de La señora Cornelia (1996)

This novel develops two planes. The first plane explores the theme of honor among Cornelia, the duke of Ferrara, and Cornelia's Brother. The second plane explores the theme of friendship through two friends, don Juan de Gamboa and don Antonio de Isunza, spectators and protagonists of the events. The action takes place in Bolonia, where the friends return to their respective houses after they have abandoned them.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Los Trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (1996)

This story narrates the journey that a young couple in love makes from Northern Europe, crossing the continent to reach Rome, the center of civilization and Christianity. The two are forced by the circumstances to present themselves as brother and sister, and through their journey's description, the author echoes solutions to problems from his time and other ages.

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Tragedia de Numancia (1996)

This play dramatizes the siege of Numantia, Hispania, by the Romans. It is divided in four acts. The dialogue interchanges tercets and "redondillas."

Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de Viaje del Parnaso (1996)

Cervantes satirizes in this poem some of his contemporaries who were false pretenders to the Spanish Parnassus. The work is divided in eight chapters with a versification in tercets.

Gracián y Morales, Baltazar El criticón (1913)

Written by Baltazar Gracián, El Criticón is made of three parts published in 1651, 1653, and 1657 respectively. It is a long allegorical novel with philosophical nuances. It evokes the many adventures of the characters as it satirizes society. Critilo, the "critical man" is the embodiment of disillusionment, and Andrenio, the "natural man" represents impulses.