A critical edition of Contra valor no hay desdicha by Lope de Vega

Thesis

Contra valor no hay desdicha was first published in 1638 by María de Quiñones, and appeared in Parte XXIII of the comedias of Lope de Vega.

As no modern edition of the play exists, my work has been to produce a scholarly study of it that encompasses the elements necessary for a modern critical edition. These include: a synopsis of the play; a study of its historical sources; an exploration of its characterization, imagery and themes; a discussion of its original and contemporary staging; analysis of its versification; and an in-depth examination of previous printed editions of the play and the date of its composition (including an investigation into its authenticity).

In terms of the text itself, the version settled upon in this edition is the result of consideration and comparison of all seven previous printings of Contra valor (two from the seventeenth, three from the eighteenth and two from the nineteenth centuries). I have also identified and corrected some errors in the text that have crept in through transmission and are present in the most widely-used edition, that of Menéndez y Pelayo (RAE, 1896). Footnotes and endnotes have been added to the text, and a list of textual variants is included.

Through this undertaking, I have been able to identify key themes within Contra valor - in particular that of kingship - which place it comfortably alongside recent scholarship on Lope's drama. In addition, my analysis of the play's versification and linguistic data, in addition to its thematic content, show it to be almost certainly the work of Lope de Vega. This conclusion is significant given Morley and Bruerton’s previous classification of Contra valor as a play of 'doubtful authenticity' (due in part to the lack of a manuscript copy).

Authors: Walker, N

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-r5gbogay4
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Critical Edition; Lope de Vega
• Subjects: "Contra valor no hay desdicha" by Lope de Vega