Abstract

"You must learn first how to choose a woman" says the character Don Love to the protagonist of the Book of Good Love (fourteenth-century Castile) who has suffered a few setbacks in love. Don Love then goes on to describe in detail the ideal woman, beginning with her physical characteristics: a small head; blond hair; eyebrows set apart, long and arched; a narrow chin; large, prominent, colorful, and shining eyes, with long lashes; small, delicate ears; a long throat; a finely chiseled nose; small, even, sharp and white teeth, close together; red gums; red lips finely-drawn; a small mouth; and her face white, hairless, bright and smooth.1 Formally, this description of the "beautiful woman" is typical of many works ..