Spain: Teresa de Ahumada

Teresa de Ahumada She was born in Avila to a prosperous family. From her father’s side were a family of converts ( from Jewish to Christianity). When Teresa was thirteen, her mother died. In 1535, she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation, in Avila, where she took her vows as Teresa of Jesus. At this monastery, enclosure (the ideal of The Carmelite Order) was impossible due to the large number of Nuns and its poverty. Visitors had to be received because benefactors were needed. Nuns had to leave to make home visits in order to fill their basic needs such as medical care and food. Teresa herself had to leave three times. First, to get treatment for a sickness; second, to care for her father on his last days before his death; finally, to make a pilgrimage to a Spanish shrine. She also met frequently with visitors. By the age of forty, she began to experience concerning monastic life. After several years, she began to think of having a new monastery built to be able to follow the Carmelite Ideology of maintaining isolation as this would enable them to dedicate themselves to prayer, meditation, obedience, duties, work , etc. When she began to discuss her visions with the staff and other Nuns, she was instructed by her confessor to begin writing about her spitual life and how she came to her goal of reform. By 1562 she founded her first monastery in Avila which was named Saint Joseph. At this time, she completed her first book Libro de la Vida (Book of the Life), her autobiography. From thereon, in the next twenty years, she traveled throughout Spain establishing monasteries for Nuns and Friars and continued writing. Because the monasteries were located farther apart, Teresa began to write about the spiritual directions the order should be taking. She wrote Camino de Perfeccion (1566) (Way of Perfection), how to reach your spiritual goal, Castillo Interior/Las Moradas (1580) (Interior Castle/The Mansions), about contemplative prayer, Las Fundaciones (1573 to 1582) (Foundations) to remember the early history of their order. She also wrote meditations, prayers, and hymns. She wrote a number of letters and most of them are still preserved. Because these writings took place during the Inquisition, they were read carefully by others. Even in her lifetime, her writings and work on the monasteries were known throughout Europe.

By: Richard M.

Spain

Maria de Zayas

Maria de Zayas Beginning in the Sixteenth Century, an increasing number of Spanish women begin writing some time after the Protestant reformation advocating that everybody , including women, should learn to read and write in order to read the Bible. This period should be recognized as the start of the women’s intellectual and educational history that allowed them to read and write. This period was known as Humanism. Out of this era in Spain arose Maria de Zayas y Sotomayor in the 1600’s. She was born in Madrid, Spain, daughter of Infantry Captain Fernando de Zayas y Sotomayor and Maria Catalina de Barrasa. Baptism took place in the church of San Sebastian on September 12, 1590.Maria Zayas belonged to the aristocracy of Madrid. Even though she earned a low salary as a writer, which was typical in her time, she did well due to her aristocratic status. Other than this basic biographical information, little is known about her. It is not known if she ever got married or even had children but her literary work is well-known and translated a number of times. By 1637, De Zayas published her first collection of Novellas, Novelas Amorosas y Ejemplares (The enchantments of Love) in Zaragosa. Ten years later, her second collection, Desenganos Amorosos was published. She also composed a play, La Traicion en la Amistad (Friendship Betrayed). She enjoyed the respect and admiration of some of the best male writers of her time. Among them were Lope de Vega, who wrote poetry dedicated to her and Alonso de Castillo Solorzano, who referred to her as “Sibila de Madrid” (Sybil or prophetess of Madrid). In spite of the popularity of her works, the Nineteenth Century saw them as vulgar. So they faded into obscurity until their rediscovery in the late Twentieth Century. The first book, Novelas Amorosas y Ejemplares describes violence and deception while the second book Desenganos Amorosos describes the abuse of women. The female characters in both books are well-developed character-wise and their experience allows them to freely denounce their inferior role in society. Many of her characters have been wronged by men and have worked to regain their honor. She wrote during the time of the Spanish Inquisition when women were closely monitored and kept from participating in any major decision-making in society. The paternalistic society kept the majority of women confined to the home, the convent, or brothels. Through her writings she presented women as intellectually independent and just as capable as men. She was trying to encourage women to seek independence and for men to educate themselves about violence. This was contrary to the time period.

By: Richare M.

France: Marie Catherine Le Jumelle de Barneville

(1650-1705)

Marie Catherine le Jumelle de Barneville, Baronne d'Aulnoy was an established woman writer who was praised for her works but also scrutinized and thought of as a fraud. Marie Catherine was born in the year sixteen hundred and fifty in Normandy to a poor noble family. Though poor she was soon to transform from rags to riches by marrying a rich suitor. In France when Marie was just sixteen years old she married Francois de la Motte, Baron d'Aulnoy who was at the ripe old age of forty-six. The public knew Baron d'Aulnoy as a Libertine and a reckless gambler. Marie Catherine had three children with him when her husband had been accused of treason. It was said that Marie Catherine’s mother had come up with the whole ploy and accused Baron d'Aulnoy of being a traitor but no one knows why she did it. Marie then had three more children but decided to take a break from the Parisian social scene and traveled to Spain and England. She was gone for nearly twenty years when she decided to return back to France. Once again Marie Catherine was back in the lime light and had a famous solon which had high esteem people that gathered there. She also had Sentiments d'une Ame penitente and Le Retour d'une Ame a Dieu published in sixteen-ninety one. They were two religious writings that were favored by high society and even in Louis XIV's court. Baronne d'Aulnoy began to write many historical books and memoirs about Louis XIV and the Dutch wars. She wrote fairy tales as well which she was loved for. L'Ile de la felicite was her first fairy tale which was incorporated in her three historical novels called Histoire d'Hippolyte, comte de Duglas. Many of her books were very popular and would be until the day of her death in the year seventeen hundred and five. One hundred and fifty years later the French saw her works as dismissive claiming that much of her historical works were fictitious. Many still enjoyed her fairy tale collection which includes Contes Nouveaux ou Les Fees a la Mode and Les Contes des Fees.

By David U

France: Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon

(1648-1717)

Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon was born in the year sixteen hundred and forty-eight to a well known family. Although they were not awfully wealthy she married at the age of sixteen to a rich neighbor by the name of Jacques Guyon. Jeanne Marie was not too happy with the marriage and often sneaked off from her husband to pray in solitude. At the age of twenty-eight her husband Jacques Guyon passed away leaving her with three children; two boys and one girl plus a great amount of financial stability. In the year sixteen hundred and eighty-one she decided to walk her own path in the way of the Lord God. She left her two sons with some of her family, took her daughter and left for the Duchy of Savoy. This is where Jeanne Marie met Francois La Combe a Savoyard priest who had a belief in “introspection prayer” which gave people the opportunity for a one on one relationship with the Lord himself. Many people have claimed that Jeanne Marie works were inspired by La Combe and his actions. Jeanne Marie started to write an account on her spiritual life and even wrote Les torrents spirituels which went through her friends first and then slowly circulated to society. Guyon also made comments and pointed out her view on the bible writing reflections that were passed through her friends again and then to the public. All of this was done in secret because it was seen as ludicrous for a woman to have thoughts on the scripture and actually project them out to the public. In the year sixteen hundred and eighty-two Guyon returned to France with the company of La Combe. There was talk of the two of them together and how immoral it was for a Priest and a woman to be running around together with such radical ideas. They were soon arrested and La Combe would spend the rest of his life in prison but as for Jeanne Marie she was set free in the span of about seven months thanks to her wealthy friends. Jeanne Marie continued to write and soon Commentaire au Cantique des Cantiques de Salomon was out which held her views on and her take on the Bible. She was then interrogated for writing about the bible and sent to prison for seven years. When she was released she was ordered not to teach and not to write anymore. Jeanne Marie continued to do both until the day of her death in Seventeen hundred and seventeen.

By David U