María de Zayas
Encyclopedia
María de Zayas y Sotomayor (September 12, 1590–1661) wrote
during Spain's Golden Age
of literature. She
is considered by a number of modern critics as one of the pioneers of
modern literary feminism, while others consider her simply a
well-accomplished baroque author. The female characters in de Zayas'
stories were used as vehicles to enlighten readers about the plight of
women in Spanish society, or to instruct them in proper ways to live
their lives.
, de Zayas was the daughter of infantry captain
Fernando de Zayas y Sotomayor and María Catalina de Barrasa. Her
baptism
was known to have taken place in the church of San
Sebastian on September 12, 1590, and given the fact that most of
Spain's well-to-do families baptized their infants days after birth,
it may be deduced that de Zayas was born days before this date. So
very little is known about her life that it is not even certain
whether she was single or married during the time she wrote. What is
known is that she was fortunate to belong to the aristocracy
of
Madrid, because despite earning the low salary typical of writers at
the time, she lived well. In 1637, de Zayas published her first
collection of novellas, Novelas Amorosas y Ejemplares (The
Enchantments of Love) in Zaragoza
, and ten years later, her second
collection, Desengaños Amorosos (The Disenchantments of Love), was
published. De Zayas also composed a play, La traicion en la
Amistad, (Friendship Betrayed) as well as several poems. The author
enjoyed the respect and admiration of some of the best male writers of
her day. Among her many admirers were
Lope de Vega
,http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09354b.htm who
dedicated some of his poetry to her, and
Alonso de Castillo Solórzano
, who named her the "Sibila de
Madrid," (Sibyl
of Madrid). Despite the enduring popularity of her
works during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the
nineteenth-century saw her works censured for their perceived
vulgarity. As a result, they faded into obscurity, and would remain
obscure until the late twentieth century. The exact day of her death
remains a mystery. Death certificates bearing the name María de Zayas
have been found in both 1661 and 1669, yet neither seems to belong to
her.
The only physical description of de Zayas, which is likely made in
jest, comes from Francesc Fontanella in his Vejámenes
ejemplares (Amorous and Exemplary Novels), published in 1637,
and Desengaños Amorosos (Disenchantments of Love), published
in 1647. They are known as the Spanish Decameron because they
followed a structure used by the Italian writer Giovanni Bocaccio,
which consisted of many framed novelle within one. These
novellas, which were written in a complex style, were a very
popular genre in all of Europe. De Zayas was strongly influenced by
Miguel de Cervantes
’ “Novelas ejemplares (Exemplary
Novels) which were also written in the style of the Italian
novella. Use of the genre allowed de Zayas the flexibility to
share many stories and while developing several strong characters, and
provided a great showcase for her range.
The two works feature the central character, Lisis, who has invited a
group of her friends to her home to help her recover from an illness.
In an attempt to lift her spirits, each of her friends narrates a
story about a particular experience. Two stories are narrated per
night for a total of five nights. While the first book describes
violence and deception, the second one intensifies these themes. The
second book is full of description which displays, without censure,
the abuse of women. The female characters in both books are well
developed, and their experience allows them to eloquently denounce
their inferior role in society:
writers of the Golden Age of Spain. Within a decade, this changed
dramatically, as scholars began to turn their attention to close
studies of the women writers of this era. Interest in
"Gynocriticism
," the study of women writers, grew considerably
during the 1990s, and much of the interest focusing on de Zayas’ work,
which depicted women as strong and intelligent individuals. Many of de
Zayas' characters have been wronged by men, and they have embarked on
a journey to regain their honour.
Emilia Pardo Bazán
helped to bring Zayas' work once again to the
forefront. Bazan described Zayas' stories of the aristocracy of
Madrid.
In The Cultural Labyrinth of Maria de Zayas, Marina Brownlee
argues that de Zayas’ novellas were greatly influenced by
Baroque
culture, and were represented by a series of
paradox
es. Brownlee explains how de Zayas' women were themselves a
paradox: the women were strong of character, but not strong enough to
escape their particular negative situations. According to Brownlee, de
Zayas' belief was that the source of violence was the family, which
was in turn an extension of a bigger institution,
the Inquisition
. She also points out that de Zayas'
women were atypical females who chose to fight for revenge and defy
their roles toward gender, race, sexuality, and class.
Echoing Brownlee's commentaries, Lisa Vollendorf’s Reclaiming the
Body: Maria de Zayas’ Early Modern Feminism argues that de Zayas
used her prose to challenge the social view toward women. Vollendorf
claims that de Zayas' use of vivid images were intended for this
purpose. She also explores de Zayas’ strong belief in the convent as a
haven for women’s independence. According to Vollendorf, de Zayas had
little expectation for change to occur by itself, and she became a
voice urging women to seek independence and men to educate themselves
about violence.
De Zayas distinguished herself by writing about violence against women
within the context of a “gender system” in Spain which was too
universally accepted to change. She wrote within the confines of the
Spanish Inquisition, during a time when women were closely monitored
and kept from participating in any significant decision-making in the
society. The paternalistic society of 17th century Spain
dictated the confinement of the majority of the women to the home, the
convent, or brothels, and it was fortunate for de Zayas that she was
born into privilege and was able to avoid living this type of
existence.
De Zayas' Desengaños amorosos became a literary milestone by
presenting women as intelligent people who could present and defend
arguments in the style of an "academia." The women are independent and
show they don't need a male to discourse on intelligent topics, and
they are more than capable of following the same practical ground
rules and protocols as the men do. The general theme of the arguments
is the mistreatment of women at the hands of men. This desire for
female camaraderie and independence was contrary to most of the
portrayals of women of the era, and was a unique way of portraying
women in a world where the men of the society were looked to for
guidance and leadership.
During the 20th century, the feminist literary canon in
Spain was limited to one or two female writers. But de Zayas and other
writers of the seventeenth century, including her fellow Spaniard
during Spain's Golden Age
Spanish Golden Age
The Spanish Golden Age is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise and decline of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. El Siglo de Oro does not imply precise dates and is usually considered to have lasted longer than an actual century...
of literature. She
is considered by a number of modern critics as one of the pioneers of
modern literary feminism, while others consider her simply a
well-accomplished baroque author. The female characters in de Zayas'
stories were used as vehicles to enlighten readers about the plight of
women in Spanish society, or to instruct them in proper ways to live
their lives.
Biography
Born in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, de Zayas was the daughter of infantry captain
Fernando de Zayas y Sotomayor and María Catalina de Barrasa. Her
baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
was known to have taken place in the church of San
Sebastian on September 12, 1590, and given the fact that most of
Spain's well-to-do families baptized their infants days after birth,
it may be deduced that de Zayas was born days before this date. So
very little is known about her life that it is not even certain
whether she was single or married during the time she wrote. What is
known is that she was fortunate to belong to the aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
of
Madrid, because despite earning the low salary typical of writers at
the time, she lived well. In 1637, de Zayas published her first
collection of novellas, Novelas Amorosas y Ejemplares (The
Enchantments of Love) in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
, and ten years later, her second
collection, Desengaños Amorosos (The Disenchantments of Love), was
published. De Zayas also composed a play, La traicion en la
Amistad, (Friendship Betrayed) as well as several poems. The author
enjoyed the respect and admiration of some of the best male writers of
her day. Among her many admirers were
Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega
Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio was a Spanish playwright and poet. He was one of the key figures in the Spanish Golden Century Baroque literature...
,http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09354b.htm who
dedicated some of his poetry to her, and
Alonso de Castillo Solórzano
Alonso de Castillo Solórzano
Alonso de Castillo was Spanish novelist and playwright.He is stated to have been baptized October 1, 1584). Nothing is known of his youth, and he is next heard of at Madrid in 1619 as a man of literary tastes...
, who named her the "Sibila de
Madrid," (Sibyl
Sibyl
The word Sibyl comes from the Greek word σίβυλλα sibylla, meaning prophetess. The earliest oracular seeresses known as the sibyls of antiquity, "who admittedly are known only through legend" prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a deity, originally— at Delphi and...
of Madrid). Despite the enduring popularity of her
works during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the
nineteenth-century saw her works censured for their perceived
vulgarity. As a result, they faded into obscurity, and would remain
obscure until the late twentieth century. The exact day of her death
remains a mystery. Death certificates bearing the name María de Zayas
have been found in both 1661 and 1669, yet neither seems to belong to
her.
The only physical description of de Zayas, which is likely made in
jest, comes from Francesc Fontanella in his Vejámenes
| Catalan Catalan language Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island... |
English |
|---|---|
| Doña María de Sayas viu ab cara varonil, que a bé que ‘sayas’ tenía, bigotes filava altius. Semblava a algun cavaller, mes jas’ vindrà a descubrir que una espasa mal se amaga baix las ‘sayas’ femenils. En la dècima tercera fou glosadora infeliz, que mala tercera té quant lo pris vol adquirir. per premiar sos bons desitgs del sèrcol de un guardainfant tindrà corona gentil! |
Madame Maria de Zayas She lived with a manly face, what great skirt she had, mustaches spinning high. She resembled a gentleman, But, I have just come to discover that she poorly hides a sword, underneath the feminine skirts. In the third décima she was an unhappy commentator for she has such a bad third how quickly she wants to get in order to award her good desires of a farthingale's ? shall have a heathen crown. |
Major works
De Zayas' most successful works are her Novelas Amorosas yejemplares (Amorous and Exemplary Novels), published in 1637,
and Desengaños Amorosos (Disenchantments of Love), published
in 1647. They are known as the Spanish Decameron because they
followed a structure used by the Italian writer Giovanni Bocaccio,
which consisted of many framed novelle within one. These
novellas, which were written in a complex style, were a very
popular genre in all of Europe. De Zayas was strongly influenced by
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered the first modern novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded amongst the best works of fiction ever written...
’ “Novelas ejemplares (Exemplary
Novels) which were also written in the style of the Italian
novella. Use of the genre allowed de Zayas the flexibility to
share many stories and while developing several strong characters, and
provided a great showcase for her range.
The two works feature the central character, Lisis, who has invited a
group of her friends to her home to help her recover from an illness.
In an attempt to lift her spirits, each of her friends narrates a
story about a particular experience. Two stories are narrated per
night for a total of five nights. While the first book describes
violence and deception, the second one intensifies these themes. The
second book is full of description which displays, without censure,
the abuse of women. The female characters in both books are well
developed, and their experience allows them to eloquently denounce
their inferior role in society:
Why vain legislators of the world, do you tie our hands so that we
cannot take vengeance? Because of your mistaken ideas about us, you
render us powerless and deny us access to pen and sword. Isn’t our
soul the same as a man’s soul?.... [Later the husband listens her
laments and approaches Laura] moving closer to her and incesed in an
infernal rage, (Diego) began to beat her with his hands, so much so
that the white pearls of her teeth, bathed in the blood shed by his
angry hand, quickly took on the form of red coral (tran. H. Patsy
Boyer, The Enchantments of Love)
Criticism
As recently as the early 1980s, scant attention was devoted to femalewriters of the Golden Age of Spain. Within a decade, this changed
dramatically, as scholars began to turn their attention to close
studies of the women writers of this era. Interest in
"Gynocriticism
Gynocriticism
Gynocriticism is the historical study of women writers as a distinct literary tradition. Elaine Showalter coined this term in her essay "Toward a Feminist Poetics." It refers to a criticism that constructs "a female framework for the analysis of women's literature, to develop new models based on...
," the study of women writers, grew considerably
during the 1990s, and much of the interest focusing on de Zayas’ work,
which depicted women as strong and intelligent individuals. Many of de
Zayas' characters have been wronged by men, and they have embarked on
a journey to regain their honour.
Emilia Pardo Bazán
Emilia Pardo Bazán
Emilia Pardo Bazán was a Spanish author and scholar from Galicia.-Life:...
helped to bring Zayas' work once again to the
forefront. Bazan described Zayas' stories of the aristocracy of
Madrid.
In The Cultural Labyrinth of Maria de Zayas, Marina Brownlee
argues that de Zayas’ novellas were greatly influenced by
Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
culture, and were represented by a series of
paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
es. Brownlee explains how de Zayas' women were themselves a
paradox: the women were strong of character, but not strong enough to
escape their particular negative situations. According to Brownlee, de
Zayas' belief was that the source of violence was the family, which
was in turn an extension of a bigger institution,
the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
. She also points out that de Zayas'
women were atypical females who chose to fight for revenge and defy
their roles toward gender, race, sexuality, and class.
Echoing Brownlee's commentaries, Lisa Vollendorf’s Reclaiming the
Body: Maria de Zayas’ Early Modern Feminism argues that de Zayas
used her prose to challenge the social view toward women. Vollendorf
claims that de Zayas' use of vivid images were intended for this
purpose. She also explores de Zayas’ strong belief in the convent as a
haven for women’s independence. According to Vollendorf, de Zayas had
little expectation for change to occur by itself, and she became a
voice urging women to seek independence and men to educate themselves
about violence.
De Zayas distinguished herself by writing about violence against women
within the context of a “gender system” in Spain which was too
universally accepted to change. She wrote within the confines of the
Spanish Inquisition, during a time when women were closely monitored
and kept from participating in any significant decision-making in the
society. The paternalistic society of 17th century Spain
dictated the confinement of the majority of the women to the home, the
convent, or brothels, and it was fortunate for de Zayas that she was
born into privilege and was able to avoid living this type of
existence.
De Zayas' Desengaños amorosos became a literary milestone by
presenting women as intelligent people who could present and defend
arguments in the style of an "academia." The women are independent and
show they don't need a male to discourse on intelligent topics, and
they are more than capable of following the same practical ground
rules and protocols as the men do. The general theme of the arguments
is the mistreatment of women at the hands of men. This desire for
female camaraderie and independence was contrary to most of the
portrayals of women of the era, and was a unique way of portraying
women in a world where the men of the society were looked to for
guidance and leadership.
During the 20th century, the feminist literary canon in
Spain was limited to one or two female writers. But de Zayas and other
writers of the seventeenth century, including her fellow Spaniard