Cueva, Juan de la

Cueva, Juan de la (hwän dā lä kwā'vä) [key], 1550?–1610?, Spanish dramatist, one of the precursors of Lope de Vega. He spent the years from 1574 to 1577 in Mexico. Of his 14 plays, the most famous is the comedy El infamador [the scoundrel] (1581). Cueva rejected traditional dramatic unities and introduced national themes to the stage, laying the foundation for the national drama of Spain's Golden Age. His innovations included employing a variety of meters and reducing the comedy to four acts.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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