EN
The author analyses the Spanish chivalric novel against the background of legal and market-driven determinants in 16th century Spain. The author’s starting assumption is that the genre could be considered to be one of the first “commercial” genres. She discusses the nature of the emerging popular literature, by pointing to the main factors accompanying its origins and influencing its further development. Given the methodology adopted by the author, the article is part of the research field of the sociology of literature.