A case of adaptation of the Italian humanistic dialogue into XV century Spanish literature:: the "Diálogo sobre la vida feliz" by Juan de Lucena

Abstract

The Diálogo sobre la vida feliz by Juan de Lucena is a clear example of the assimilation by XV century Castilian literature of an Italian humanistic dialogue, namely Bartolomeo Facio’s De humanae vitae felicitate. Through an outstanding imitatio process, Lucena re-elaborates the text in pattern and contents, structure, space, time and characters, as well as in the language itself. Following the concept and some of the plots of the Latin model, all the elements in the story combine through a refined technique into a well structured and coherent new text, which we could almost say has a voice of its own.