St. Teresa of Avila: Author of a Heroic Life

by Carole Slade

With few exceptions, representations of Renaissance women were created by men. The Spanish saint, Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), who chose to represent herself, was one of those exceptions. What prompted her to write Book of Her Life, Interior Castle, and other works? What does the self-portrait of this sixteenth-century nun, mystic, and founder of convents reveal about its author, the church, state, and role of women?St. Teresa of Avila, an innovative analysis of Teresa's autobiographical writings, explores these and many other questions. Bringing to bear a knowledge of Inquisition studies, theory of autobiography, scriptural hermeneutics, and hagiography, Carole Slade defines Teresa's writings as a project of self-interpretation undertaken mainly as the result of the perceived, later realized, threat of an accusation of heresy. Being female and of paternal Jewish ancestry, Teresa was vulnerable to such a charge.Teresa's writing project presented her with seri

238 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 1995

About the author

Carole Slade specializes in late medieval and early modern European literature. Her publications include St. Teresa of Avila: Author of a Heroic Life and Approaches to Teaching Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. She teaches Comparative Literature at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic critical analysis of the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila.

[Belinda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a great deal of difficulty finishing this book. Although the information was provocative I felt the book could have been better written. In fact the book really was a bore to read.