Publisher's Synopsis
"Lady Cornelia" (La Senora Cornelia) relies heavily on recognition scenes and other stock devices of the Greek novel to present the story of two exemplary Spanish gentlemen, Don Juan de Gamboa and Don Antonio de Isunza.;"The Deceitful Marriage" (El casamiento enganoso) is the story of a soldier who enters into marriage for wrong and selfish motives and receives his just reward at the hands of his wife, who proves to be equally deceitful.;"The Dialogue of the Dogs" (El coloquio de los perros) is presented as the same soldier's account of an overheard conversation between two dogs, Cipion and Berganza, in which one of them recounts his life, in picaresque fashion, in a narrative which is interspersed with moral and philosophical insights while providing a critical perspective on contemporary Spanish society.;Although capable of standing alone, these last two stories, probably the most engaging of the "Exemplary Novels" are cleverly linked by Cervantes, as tale is skilfully enclosed within tale, in order to explore the art of story-telling, the nature of reality, the power of illusion, and the complex relationships between all three. In these stories Cevantes, though working within a broadly realistic framework, shows his ability to exploit to the full the potentialities of the fictional mode.
