Author : Natalie Love
Release : 2013
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Kind : eBook
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Book Synopsis The Other Side of Sadism by : Natalie Love

Download or read book The Other Side of Sadism written by Natalie Love. This book was released on 2013. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study compares the Duchess of Cervantes' Don Quixote with certain rebellious women from Zayas' tales in Novelas amorosas y ejemplares and Desenganos amorosos to show how these female characters deconstruct forms of masculine control as a form of empowerment. These women subvert the gender power structure by taunting men's masculinity, inverting sexual norms, and displaying sadistic behaviors. The Duchess and the evil women of Zayas' tales usurp the role of the cruel abuser that was typically reserved for men. They are female sadists who possess a desire to subject the male (and sometimes female) body to submission, denigration, and even violence as a form of pleasure and sexual fulfillment. They also use psychological sexual cruelty to humiliate men and deprive them of their phallic power. The first part of this study explains the gender relations of 17th- century Spain and it shows how men used cruelty, violence, and sexuality to control women. The second part compares the Duchess of Don Quixote and Zayas' devious women to show how all of these women use sexual cruelty to deconstruct these forms of masculine power. Lastly, it analyzes Cervantes' and Zayas' motives for portraying these evil female characters and reveals their differing views on female sexuality. This study draws on numerous primary sources from 17-century Spain, including literary works, paintings, and even legal and religious documents to show how destructive gender relationships led to hostile sexual encounters in which not only men, but also women derived pleasure from sexual cruelty. Although many scholars have analyzed sexually abusive behavior in men of Golden Age Spain, there are few studies on female sexual cruelty from this time period. By analyzing these sadistic females, this study deepens our understanding of the sexual tensions in the period. Women's constant internalization of abuse and sexual repression eventually led them to transform themselves from innocent victims into aggressive abusers who derived pleasure from humiliating and degrading men. Scholars have long recognized the influence that Cervantes had on Zayas' novellas; however, there is no study that compares the sadistic Duchess of Don Quixote with Zayas' evil women. An analysis of these female characters not only provides insight to the gender relations of baroque Spain, but it also forms a new connection between these two authors that has not yet been acknowledged.