Martorell's Tirant Lo Blanch

This first critical analysis of the Catalan novel of chivalry, Tirant lo Blanch (1490), elucidates the sophisticated plan that lies behind its composition. By breaking down the 487-chapter story into two fundamental narrative threads--the military and erotic exploits of the hero--Aylward reveals the two-pronged narrative scheme that supports Martorell's fast-paced and amusing account of romance and political intrigue in fifteenth-century Constantinople.