The Dream Space and the Querelle des Femmes in Jaume Roig’s Espill

Abstract

This article attempts to broaden the parameters of debates on women in the fifteenth and sixteenth century by considering the dialectic between models of masculinity and femininity in Jaume Roig’s Espill. These models are characterized by men’s physical victimization by intrinsically evil women, who are considered a threat to men’s health and power. The mutual reinforcement of femininity and masculinity culminates in the dream space of book three, where King Solomon’s spiritual discourse complements Roig’s profane harangue. These two authorities work toward training men by warning them about women’s evil and teaching them about the consequences of women’s perversity on the male body. The text promotes a model of masculinity that makes anxiety a fundamental component of men’s identity during this period.