[7] See Comedias Escogidas, Vol. I, p. xxviii, and Gassier, Le Théâtre Espagnol, p. 60.
[8] Ticknor, History of Spanish Literature, Vol. II, p. 275.
[9] The Ticknor collection in the Boston Public Librarycontains two copies of the play; the one is entitled "La Moza deCántaro, comedia en cinco actos por Lope Félix de Vega Carpio yrefundida por Cándido María Trigueros, Valencia, 1803," and the other, idem, "con anotaciones, Londres" (probably about 1820). These areprobably the only editions of the play with which Ticknor was familiarwhen he made his classification of it, for certainly he could notreconcile it with his definition of "comedies on common life," but hecould easily accord it with his definition of "comedias de capa yespada." (See Ticknor's History of Spanish Literature, Vol. II, pp.243 and 275.) Quoting from Lista's classification, Romualdo AlvarezEspino says: " Comedias de costumbres in which are painted vices ofcertain persons who, since in that epoch they could not be representedto be of the nobility, were drawn from the dregs of the people. Perhapshis very object in these compositions drew Lope away from the cultureand urbanity which distinguish him in others; but fortunately they arefew. Let us mention as examples El rufian Castrucho, La Moza deCántaro, El sabio en su casa, La doncella Teodor." (RomualdoAlvarez Espino, Ensayo Histórico Crítico del Teatro Español, p. 116.See also, Alfred Gassier, Le Théâtre Espagnol, p. 38.) In the broadersense of the term, comedias de costumbres could easily include notonly the Moza de Cántaro but generally all comedias de capa yespada, for true comedy is the presentation of the customs of societyin a diverting manner. However, the Spanish critics usually narrow theclass to include only the dramas of Lope which deal with the lowerstrata of social life and make the error of classing the Moza deCántaro among them. This error may be explained by the fact that thecritics, especially those cited above, have probably referred directlyor indirectly to the refundida edition of the play which makesprominent the part of the servants and minimizes the rôles of themasters.
