Teresa of Avila's Autobiography
Authority, Power and the Self in Mid-Sixteenth-Century Spain

Elena Carrera

Legenda (General Series)

Legenda

4 February 2005  •  224pp

ISBN: 1-900755-96-3 (paperback)  •  RRP £75, $99, €85

ISBN: 978-1-351197-07-6 (Taylor & Francis ebook)

RenaissanceSpanishLife-Writing


The Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila (1515-82) is the author of one of the most acclaimed early modern autobiographies (Vida, 1565), yet this is the first study to examine the impact of textual models on her self-construction. In looking at the issue of the self, Carrera draws on the theories of Ricoeur and Foucault, and also applies a valuable historical perspective. Through a close analysis of devotional books and confessors' manuals, she establishes significant connections between Teresa's autobiography and the practices of meditative reading and confession in sixteenth-century Spain.

Elena Carrera is Senior Lecturer in Spanish at Oxford Brookes University.

Reviews:

  • ‘In sum, Carrera succeeds admirably in her goal of elucidating the textual models and controversies that underlie Teresa's religious practices and her self-presentation in Vida. She provides expert guidance through the theological maze...’ — Alison Parks Weber, Iberoamericana VI, 24, 2006, 213-15

Bibliography entry:

Carrera, Elena, Teresa of Avila's Autobiography: Authority, Power and the Self in Mid-Sixteenth-Century Spain (Legenda, 2005)

First footnote reference: 35 Elena Carrera, Teresa of Avila's Autobiography: Authority, Power and the Self in Mid-Sixteenth-Century Spain (Legenda, 2005), p. 21.

Subsequent footnote reference: 37 Carrera, p. 47.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)

Bibliography entry:

Carrera, Elena. 2005. Teresa of Avila's Autobiography: Authority, Power and the Self in Mid-Sixteenth-Century Spain (Legenda)

Example citation: ‘A quotation occurring on page 21 of this work’ (Carrera 2005: 21).

Example footnote reference: 35 Carrera 2005: 21.

(To see how these citations were worked out, follow this link.)


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