Providing a survey of world societies from antiquity to the present, this edition maintains emphasis on social history and also treats European and non-European political, economic, cultural and intellectual developments from an integrated perspective. Ancillary package available upon adoption.

This book examines the patterns of conflict between the individual and society as depicted in Spanish medieval and Golden Age literature. The theme of the individual in conflict with society is most significant since it reflects the human condition and consequently serves as the foundation for numerous works written from the twelfth through the seventeenth centuries. Besides providing an introduction to the societal ideals and values underlying early Spanish writings, this book schematizes the basic types of conflict revealed in literature and attempts to clarify why authors selected particular solutions to the kinds of conflict they chose to treat.