A chivalric motif in the pastoral novel: the armed women of the arcadias

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/2284-2667/1651

Keywords:

virgo bellatrix, male disguise, sexualization, gender roles, pastoral novel

Abstract

As López Estrada (1974, 324-325) rightly noted, the pastoral novel did not replace the taste for the chivalric romance, and there are many intersections and back-and-forth paths between the two genres that remain to be explored. The virgo bellatrix is one of these common themes. This article traces this motif in the complete corpus of pastoral novels written in Spanish (1559-1633). Based on Marín Pina's (1989) study of this character in the chivalric romances, this article proposes an analysis of the treatment of armed women in the pastoral novels, identifying coincidences and new developments of the motif that complete the panorama of contaminations between the model of the Amazon and the maiden who takes up arms out of necessity.

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Published

2025-12-19

Issue

No. 13 (2025): Identity and Disguise: The Female Gender in the Romances of Chivalry

Section

Monographic

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Sara Santa-Aguilar

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