Frederick de Armas argues convincingly in this book that throughout his literary career, Cervantes was in fact engaged in a conversation with the classical authors of Greece and Rome, especially through the interpretations of antiquity presented by the artist Raphael. Rather than looking at Cervantes's texts in relation to other literary works, this book demonstrates how Cervantes's trip to Italy and his observation of Italian Renaissance art - particularly the works of Raphael at the Vatican - led him to create new images and structures in his works.