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Robert
Archer.
The
Problem of Woman in Late-Medieval Hispanic Literature.
Tamesis,
2005.
Monografías
A series.
ISBN
1855661136.
Hardback.
23 x 15
cm.
240pp.
Publisher's
recommended price £45.00/$90.00
What is a woman? This book
questions the persistent assumption that the large corpus of medieval
Hispanic texts that discuss the nature of women can be defined in terms
of the clichéd discourses of misogynism and defence of women,
arguing instead that the problem of gender identity is vital to them
all.
The texts, some well-known,
others which have received scant critical attention, are each discussed
in their specific contexts and in relation to the ostensible reasons
for their composition, such as a political, literary, religious, or
didactic 'agenda'. They are also related to the literary traditions in
which they are written [misogynistic denunciation, satire, humour,
defence, narrative debate, among others], and the particular
theoretical problems arising from them are discussed. But it is also
argued that the full meaning of the texts lies at the less immediately
accessible level at which they address this very problem of definition,
one which arises directly from the self-perpetuating contradictions of
authoritative wisdom on the nature of women.
Contents
Introduction
1 Notions of Women in Hispanic Didactic Literature
2 Unstable Sex, Unstable Voices: Alfonso Martínez de Toledo's
Arcipreste de Talavera
3 Present Laughter: Bernat Metge's Lo somni and Jaume Roig's Spill
4 The Defences
5 Torroella's maldezir de mugeres and its Legacy
6 Conclusion
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