7 h 41 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A magistrate wants the miller's wife—and expects his three-cornered hat to give him all the power he needs.
In Andalusia, Uncle Lucas and Frasquita live happily at their mill. He is cheerful and quick-witted; she is loyal, strong-willed and ready to defend their home. Then the Corregidor, the town's vain chief magistrate, sets his sights on Frasquita. Their marriage stands in the path of a man who expects obedience.
With his sly servant Garduña, the Corregidor begins a scheme that draws the village into a night of tricks, mistaken identities and jealousy. Pedro Antonio de Alarcón tells this short comedy with the warmth of a storyteller sharing local lore. Even clever Lucas finds that suspicion can make good sense hard to hold.
What you’ll discover
- A marriage under pressure Meet a devoted couple whose happy life faces an unwelcome intrusion from the town's highest official.
- A wife with resolve Frasquita brings loyalty and a strong will to the struggle over her home.
- Authority meets village wit Discover a comedy that questions the obedience demanded by titles, uniforms and rank.
- Jealousy clouds good judgment Watch suspicion unsettle even Lucas, a miller who prides himself on outsmarting others.
- A storyteller's teasing warmth Enjoy village life through a friendly narrator who cannot resist commenting on the tale.
Who will love it
For readers who love light, quick comedies with strong plots, mistaken identities and clever revenge, and anyone curious about Spanish village life in the age of Napoleon.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A happy couple lives at the mill
- A powerful man with a roving eye
- A night of schemes begins
- Jealousy turns clever people reckless
- Village wit stands up to authority
- A tall tale told with a smile
Who’s who
- Uncle LucasThe miller, short and hunched but quick-witted and cheerful, who loves his wife and prides himself on outsmarting anyone who crosses him.
- FrasquitaLucas's wife, a tall and beautiful woman from Navarre, who is loyal, strong-willed and ready to defend her home.
- The CorregidorThe town's chief magistrate, a vain older man in a scarlet cape and three-cornered hat, who expects to have whatever he wants.
- GarduñaThe Corregidor's sly servant, who carries out his master's schemes and hears everything in town.
- Doña MercedesThe Corregidor's wife, a lady of the town, whose household is drawn into the night's tangle.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Three-Cornered Hat
by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón · 1874
A vain magistrate pursues a clever miller's wife, setting an Andalusian mill alight with schemes, jealousy and disguise.
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In short
The Three-Cornered Hat is a short comic novel by the Spanish writer Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, first published in 1874. Alarcón took an old Andalusian folk tale, the kind sung and told in country taverns, and turned it into a polished story full of wit and mischief.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A happy couple lives at the mill
The story opens in Andalusia, in southern Spain, in the years when Charles IV is on the throne. A narrator who loves local lore introduces the miller, known as Uncle Lucas. Lucas is short, rather ugly, and slightly hunched. Yet he is quick, funny and full of country sense, and everyone who meets him enjoys his talk.
His wife is Frasquita, who comes from Navarre in the north. She is tall, strong and beautiful, with a warm laugh and a sharp tongue when she needs one. She is also loyal. Many people in town wonder how such a woman ended up with such a husband, and the narrator enjoys that question.
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What is The Three-Cornered Hat about?
It is a comic tale set in Andalusia, about a miller and his wife who are pursued by a vain local magistrate. One night of schemes, jealousy and disguise puts both households in a tangle.
Who is the Corregidor in The Three-Cornered Hat?
The Corregidor is the chief royal magistrate of the town, a vain older man in a scarlet cape and three-cornered hat. He holds real power and uses it to chase the miller's wife.
What does the three-cornered hat mean in the story?
The hat is the badge of the Corregidor's office. In the story it stands for official dignity and power, and for how foolish that dignity looks when it is stripped of respect.
The author
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
1833–1891 · Spanish novelist
Pedro Antonio de Alarcón was a Spanish novelist born in Guadix in 1833. He wrote novels, short stories, and travel accounts. His works include The Three-Cornered Hat, published in 1874, and The Scandal, published in 1875. He also worked as a journalist and politician. He died in Madrid in 1891.
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