Monstrosity and Identity in the Comedias of Lope de Vega

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  • March 19, 2019
Creator
  • Cegelski, Sarah
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Romance Studies
Abstract
  • Monstrosity and Identity in the Comedias of Lope de Vega is concerned with the relationship between monstrosity and identity formation in early modern Spain. The monster was a popular cultural phenomenon in sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain, appearing in a variety of scientific and literary genres. The monster was not just an extraordinary and unusual creature that elicited reactions of awe, wonder, and terror; it was also considered a sign from God that required careful interpretation to comprehend its meaning. The monster also embodies those characteristics that a society deems undesirable, and so by contrast, it shows what a society accepts and desires as part of its identity. In Lope de Vega's (1562-1635) comedias, the playwright depicts characters who challenged the social, political, and religious conventions of his time as monsters. This study of Lope's monsters intends to understand how and why Lope depicted these characters as monsters, and what they can tell us about the behaviors, beliefs, and traditions that Lope rejected as unacceptable or undesirable parts of the Spanish collective identity. It also seeks to understand, by contrast, what Lope thought Spanish identity was, or what he desired it to be. As the founding father of Spanish national theater and the playwright of the masses, this study of Lope's comedias and his monsters deepens our understanding of early modern Spanish collective self-fashioning.
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  • In Copyright
Advisor
  • Perelmuter, Rosa
  • Dominguez, Frank
  • Greer, Margaret
  • Finucci, Valeria
  • Hsu, Carmen
Degree
  • Doctor of Philosophy
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2015
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  • Chapel Hill, NC
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  • There are no restrictions to this item.
Date uploaded
  • June 23, 2015

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