Novelas ejemplares (1613)

Cervantes’s claim in the prologue to his Novelas ejemplares to be the first to write novels in Spanish is more than justified, not just on grounds of originality, but also for the skilful blend of entertainment and literary sophistication they offer. Whereas other Spanish collections of novelas are imitated or plagiarised, these are all his own work. And while other novelas are often little more than bawdy anecdotes, these novels offer the most wholesome entertainment, that is, entertainment that a book-buyer could allow his wife—or even his servants—to read. While there is evidence that the title was originally longer, what is certainly clear is that the title Cervantes eventually settled on would have struck most contemporary readers and book-buyers as an intriguing contradiction in terms. This chapter explores this uniquely Cervantine collection of novellas and its significance in the history of Spanish literature.