El debate entre la riqueza, la belleza y la inteligencia constituye la base argumental del diálogo filosófico-amoroso titulado Asclepigenia, la obra que Juan Valera estimaba más de toda su producción dramática, quizás porque lo enfrenta a sus propios demonios:
el litigio constante entre el corazón y la razón, la confrontación no resuelta y siempre sinuosa entre los dones del intelecto y los goces de la materia.
The debate between wealth, beauty and intelligence constitutes the plot basis of the philosophical-amorous dialogue entitled Asclepigenia, the work that Juan Valera valued most of all his dramatic production, perhaps because it confronts him with his own demons:
the constant litigation between the heart and reason, the unresolved and always sinuous confrontation between the gifts of the intellect and the joys of matter.