LA CUEVA

la cueva, juan de (1550?-1609?), spanish dramatist and poet, was born at seville, and towards 1579 began writing for the stage. his plays, fourteen in number, were published in 1588, and are the earliest manifestations of the dramatic methods developed by lope de vega. abandoning the senecan model hitherto universal in spain, cueva took for his themes matters of national legend, historic tradition, recent victories and the actualities of contemporary life: this amalgam of epical and realistic elements, and the introduction of a great variety of metres, prepared the way for the spanish romantic drama of the 17th century. a peculiar interest attaches to _el infamador_, a play in which the character of leucino anticipates the classic type of don juan. as an initiative force, cueva is a figure of great historical importance; his epic poem, _la conquista de betica_ (1603), shows his weakness as an artist. the last work to which his name is attached is the _ejemplar poetico_ (1609), and he is believed to have died shortly after its publication. see the editions of _saco de roma_ and _el infamador_, by e. de ochoa, in the _tesoro del teatro espanol_ (paris, 1838), vol. i. pp. 251-285; and of _ejemplar poetico_, by j. j. lopez de sedano, in the _parnaso espanol_, vol. viii. pp. 1-68; also e. walberg, "juan de la cueva et son ejemplar poetico" in the _acta universitatis lundensis_ (lund, 1904), vol. xxix.; "poemes inedits de juan de la cueva (viaje de sannio,)" edited by f. a. wulff, in the _acta universitatis lundensis_ (lund, 1886-1887), vol. xxiii.; f. a. wulff, "de la rimas de juan de la cueva, primera parte" in the _homenaje a menendez y pelayo_ (madrid, 1899), vol. ii. pp. 143-148. (j. f.-k.)