An Erotic Philology of Golden Age Spain

Adrienne Laskier Martin

Description

Early modern Spanish literature is remarkably rich in erotic texts that conventionally chaste critical traditions have willfully disregarded or repudiated as inferior or unworthy of study. Nonetheless, eroticism is a lightning rod for defining mentalities and social, intellectual, and literary history within the nascent field that the author calls erotic philology. An Erotic Philology of Golden Age Spain takes sexuality and eroticism out of the historical closet, placing them at the forefront of early modern humanistic studies.

By utilizing theories of deviance, sexuality, and gender; the rhetoric of eroticism; and textual criticism, An Erotic Philology of Golden Age Spain historicizes and analyzes the particular ways in which classical Spanish writers assign symbolic meaning to non-normative sexual practices and their practitioners. It shows how prostitutes, homosexuals, transvestites, women warriors, and female tricksters were stigmatized and marginalized as part of an ordering principle in the law, society, and in literature. It is against these sexual outlaws that early modern orthodoxy establishes and identifies itself during the Golden Age of Spanish letters.

These eroticized figures are recurring objects of contemplation and fascination for Spain's most canonical as well as lesser known writers of the period, in a variety of poetic, prose and dramatic genres. They ultimately reveal attitudes towards sexual behavior that are far more complex than was previously thought. An Erotic Philology of Golden Age Spain thoughtfully anatomizes the interdisciplinary systems at the heart of the varied sexual behaviors depicted in early modern Spanish literature.

Sujets

• Literary Criticism
• Literature
• Sexuality
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• European

Informations

• Publié par: Vanderbilt University Press
• Date de parution: 15 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780826592354
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

An Erotîc Phîlology of Golden Age Spaîn  •  Adrienne Laskier Martín

An Erotîc Phîlology of Golden Age Spaîn

An Erotîc Phîlology of Golden Age Spaîn

•

Adrienne Laskier Martín

Vanderbilt University Press 

© 2008 Vanderbilt University Press All rigts reserved First Edition 2008

11 10 09 08

1 2 3 4 5

his book is printed on acid-free paper made from 50% post-consumer recycled paper. Manufactured in te United States of America Design: Dariel Mayer

Publication of tis book as been supported by a generous subsidy from te Program for Cultural Cooperation between Spain’s Ministry of Culture and United States Universities.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Martín, Adrienne Laskier. An erotic pilology of Golden Age Spain / Adrienne Laskier Martín. — 1st ed.  p. cm. Includes bibliograpical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8265-1578-0 (clot : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-8265-1579-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)  1. Spanis literature—Classical period, 1500–1700 —History and criticism. 2. Eroticism in literature 3. Sex in literature. 4. Symbolism in literature. I. Title. PQ6066.M29 2007 860.9’3538—dc22 2007022440

For Will, Mikey, and Chloe

Contents

Acknowledgments Preface

O N E  Prostîtutîon and Power T W O and Satîre Homosexualîty as Dream and Myth Lesbîanîsm T H R E E F O U R  Wîld Women and Warrîor Maîdens F I V E  Eros and the Art of Cuckoldry

Notes Works Cîted Index

ix xi

1 43 79 114 169

203 225 249

Acknowledgments

An Erotic Pilology of Golden Age Spainas been a rewarding extended journey. I am grateful to a number of accomplised friends and scol- ars in te United States and in Spain wose stimulating conversation, debate, and wit ave enanced and confirmed my conviction regarding te quirks and merits of erotic literature. Foremost among tat excep- tional group are Anne Cruz, wo as been a formidable interlocutor for many years; Steven Hutcinson and Mercedes Alcalâ Galân, compan- ions at numerous international conferences and generous osts in An- dalucía; and J. Ignacio Díez Fernândez, model collaborator on several projects, wose own work and interests parallel and ave elped refine my own. Frederick de Armas, Diana de Armas Wilson, Emilie Berg- mann and Cristoper Maurer read te manuscript at various stages and teir keen observations are greatly appreciated. José J. Labrador Herraiz and Ralp A. DiFranco could not ave been more generous in providing poetic texts and timely suggestions.  At te University of California at Davis, Cristina Martínez Carazo, Marta Altisent and Sam Armistead, wose willingness to sare tougts and articles is boundless, are superb colleagues. Fellowsips at te Stan- ford Humanities Center and te U.C. Davis Humanities Institute pro- vided te opportunity to excange ideas wit fellow early modernists. Many tanks are due my excellent graduate students, several of wom are now scolars doing compelling work in Golden Age studies.  At Vanderbilt University Press, I tank Betsy Pillips for er ex- traordinary entusiasm and guidance in bringing tis book to press. I am also indebted to Dariel Mayer, Joan Vidal, and te original read-

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