Discrepancies between the author's intent and reader's expectations: Sergas de Esplandián, book V of Amadís continuations

This study attempts to clarify the reasons why Sergas de Esplandián was evaluated as a son inferior to his father Amadís de Gaula, through the discrepancies between the author's intent and reader's expectations. The readers in the 16th, 17th and 20th centuries did not specify or provide reasonable reasons. However, Rodríguez de Montalvo tried to portray Esplandián as a greater figure than Amadís. The completion of the chivalric romance conceived by the author was Fifth Book, and the author's intention was also religious-political propaganda for Queen Isabella. While the Books 1-4 focus on the protagonist's personal narrative, the Fifth Book explicitly takes on the political ideals and national tasks of Queen Isabella's era, the crusade. But as a result, the main character of the previous book became a sinner before God, and the main character of Fifth Book does not show any feelings of love. Individuals specialized as anti-heroes also disappeared, and all anti-heroes were grouped as enemies of faith. The discrepancy between the author's intention and the reader's expectations was caused by an excess of religious-political ideologies. Perhaps his only reader was Queen Isabella. So, the author may have created political propaganda to satisfy just one reader and did not consider the response of future mass readers. 'A son inferior to his father' is merely a later evaluation.