«Humos escuros y espesas nieblas» in the first attacks on the books of chivalry: Tirante el Blanco (1511) against the criticisms of Juan de Molina, Luis Vives and Jerónimo Sempere

Abstract

The Spanish translation of Joanot Martorell’s book of chivalry, Tirante el Blanco (Valladolid, 1511) did not have a significant impact and, consequently, there is a scarcity of critical reviews of the work in comparison with the many other appreciations appearing on books of chivalry during the 16th century. Yet, these few literary attacks on Tirante el Blanco are very interesting and deserve a detailed study. The novel is criticized by moralists and humanists because of its lack of historical truth (Juan de Molina), its negative influence on young women readers (Juan Luis Vives) or its departure from the edifying militia (Jerónimo Sempere). This article examines the literality of these criticisms, the contexts of their authors and the works where they were included, as well as the literary circles in which those readers and critics of Tirante el Blanco moved.