The first women of letters in Spain: disidency, acceptance and forgetfulness

Abstract

The aim of this work is to study the role of Spain’s first female authors. The list of writers who developed a work that was published, read and admired (as well as questioned) is extensive; but their names have fallen into oblivion. Between Antiquity and the 16th century, women of letters defied the conventions associated with their sex although they also joined a new society that allowed their admiration, often from skepticism. This text tries to recover these marginal writers, in the past and especially in the present. In order to do so, it is pro­posed to make a biobibliographical journey through the first Spanish authors and an analysis of the historical context in which they developed their work. Approaching women authors is an interesting subject because traditionally, and even today, the intellectual capacity of women has been questioned. But the debate about the role of women in society and about their educa­tion also comes from afar. In particular, since the Late Middle Ages, a new Christian sentiment that fosters Marian devotion and the culture of troubadours and courteous love opened new paths for women. The aim of this work is to study these phenomena, and their most prominent examples, in Christian Spain.