El arte de lo oculto: prácticas mágico-esotéricas en <em>Rinconete y Cortadillo</em>

One of the most frequently studied motifs in Rinconete y Cortadillo has been its relation to the picaresque as well as the new elements that it brings to this genre. It has also been asserted that, since chronologically it is one of the first novellas included in the collection of Novelas ejemplares, it eschews the structures of romance, which are prevalent in later novellas. This study foregrounds a series of elements of romance which can be found in Rinconete y Cortadillo and that reveal a series of hidden mysteries in the novella. The essay analyzes, among others, the motif of descent and the infernal geography of the novella; the presence of Mercury as a guide to the infernal regions; the final ascent promised by Rinconete and the onomastic secrets hidden in his name; the significance of perfect friendship; the desire for freedom and its implications; and the meaning of joy as found among the rogues and the followers of the barbarous Monipodio