| Sumario: | This article determines the existence of an as yet undetected literarymotif: the dangerous setbacks to the lovers’ secret nocturnal meeting. This workshows that the motif can be traced back to the death of Calisto in La Celestinaand establishes its structure: the lovers’ secret nocturnal rendez-vous, thearrival of characters who disturb the meeting and the subsequent struggle.It also analyses the appearance of this motif in books of chivalry, as well asin Golden Age drama (The knight of Olmedo by Lope de Vega). Consequently,the influence of books of chivalry is shown to go beyond what it is usuallybelieved, making itself felt in many literary genres.
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