The Reception Theory orientation discusses how the recast was received in its time; performance reviews contemporary with the new versions of old plays indicate the controversy elicited between those who believed, on the one hand, that the "classics" should be preserved as they have been handed down, and on the other, that a work of art is never "finished" and is always open to new stagings and interpretations. Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Pedro Calderon de la Barca, and others have been and continue to be reinterpreted in the light of new literary, social, and political orientations.

Explores the impact of early Spanish and English illustrations of the novel Don Quixote, arguing that these visual images presented critical interpretations that both formed and represented the novel's historical reception. Examines several iconographic traditions represented in the illustrations, including the burlesque, the satirical, and the sentimental, and discusses canon formation, visual semiotics, and the impact of visual media on public opinion. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR