The Project Gutenberg eBook of Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical setting, by Joseph Anthony Vaeth
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Title: Tirant lo Blanch; a study of its authorship, principal sources and historical setting
Release Date: July 24, 2021 [eBook #65913]
Produced by: Nahum Maso i Carcases, Emmanuel Ackerman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TIRANT LO BLANCH; A STUDY OF ITS AUTHORSHIP, PRINCIPAL SOURCES AND HISTORICAL SETTING
***The original spelling, hyphenation, and punctuation have been retained, with the exception of apparent typographical errors which have been corrected.
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Columbia University STUDIES IN ROMANCE PHILOLOGY AND LITERATURE
NEW YORK LEMCKE & BUECHNER 30-32 WEST 27TH STREET
LONDON HUMPHREY MILFORD AMEN CORNER, E.C.
SHANGHAI EDWARD EVANS & SONS, LTD. 30 NORTH SZECHUEN ROAD
A STUDY OF ITS AUTHORSHIP PRINCIPAL SOURCES AND HISTORICAL SETTING
INSTRUCTOR IN ROMANCE LANGUAGES IN NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
New York COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS 1918 _All rights reserved_
_Approved for publication, on behalf of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures of Columbia University._
WHOSE ENTHUSIASM, SCHOLARSHIP AND DEVOTION TO FRANCE HAVE BEEN OF SUCH FAR-REACHING INFLUENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES IN AMERICA, THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
On my return to Columbia University in the fall of 1914 for the purpose of continuing my studies, I consulted Professor H.A. Todd in regard to available subjects for a doctoral dissertation. In the course of our conversation he called my attention to a large volume which had been presented to him by Mr. Archer M. Huntington. It was a facsimile copy of the first edition of the Catalan romance of chivalry, _Tirant lo Blanch_. Realizing that here was an opportunity to become intimately acquainted with a work that was made well known, in name at least, by Cervantes in his celebrated _Don Quijote_, I eagerly accepted the suggestion of Professor Todd to examine the book with a view of ascertaining what possibilities _Tirant lo Blanch_ might offer in the field of literary investigation. I immediately began to consult the local libraries, and discovered that no elaborate and extensive study of this work had been made. After I had read the romance my mind was made up that the subject of my dissertation would be based on this Catalan work. I saw in it an abundance of material which provided excellent opportunities for research work. I experienced no little difficulty in selecting the special problems and investigations which were to claim my close and serious attention. Fortunately I again looked over the cards in the Catalogue of the Library of the Hispanic Society, and to my surprise I found a new card which indicated that a critical study of this Catalan work had been published in 1912, the _Estudio crítico de Tirant lo Blanch_ by Givanel Mas. After a careful study of this comprehensive and scholarly production and all other available sources of information pertaining to this subject, I found myself deeply interested in the question of the authorship of this romance, its principal sources, and its historical setting.