The consolidation of law and the development of legal writing during Spains Golden Age not only helped that country become a modern state but also affected its great literature. In this fascinating book, Roberto Gonzlez Echevarra explores the works of Cervantes, showing how his representations of love were inspired by examples of human deviance and desire culled from legal discourse. Gonzlez Echevarra describes Spains new legal policies, legislation, and institutions and explains how, at the same time, its literature became filled with love stories derived from classical and medieval sources. Examining the ways that these legal and literary developments interacted in Cervantess work, he sheds new light on Don Quixote and other writings.