Book excerpt: Lope's use of self-reverential devices in Lo fingido verdadero and La buena guarda serves to highlight the illusory nature of life and the relationship between lo verdadero and lo divino which lie at the heart of the theocentric world view of seventeenth-century Spain. The conflicting imperatives of human and divine love and the issue of identity are features of all of the plays. Furthermore, it is illustrated that the interplay between illusion and reality and the relationship between playwright and audience are crucial to Lope's dramatic output."--Jacket.