The Book of Good Love (Everyman's Library (Paper))

Rating:
Summary: Sacred and Profane
Review: A wonderful and too often overlooked masterpiece of the middle ages. Written by a clergyman, the Archpriest of Hita, who questions the distinction, if there is any, between sacred and profane love. Through a loose narration of often-time hilarious tales which recount the archpriest's amourous adventures, the author questions the notions of the sign, meaning, morality and love. Ultimately it represents a meditation on the religious notions of salvation and sin. The book in fact was written in part as a love manual for those who wish to experience sexual pleasure (through a reading of the book) but do not want to fall into the mortal sin of fornication. _The Book of Good Love_ was also instrumental in Fernando de Rojas' construction of his masterpiece, _La celestina_.