Anxieties of interiority and dissection in early modern Spain /

Fernández (Univ. of Manitoba, Canada) argues that treatises by Luis de Granada, satirical texts by Francisco de Quevedo, short stories and a novel by Miguel de Cervantes, and framed novellas by María de Zayas were informed by scientific discourse concerning dissection and anatomy. These "dissective narratives," as Fernández terms them, analyze literal and metaphorical inner spaces. Although Zayas's and Cervantes's texts do not make direct reference to dissection, Fernández provides a compelling demonstration that their works are profoundly concerned with characters' interiority, be it psychological or physical. Moreover, two of Cervantes's Novelas ejemplares objectify their protagonists by allusions to other scientific innovations, namely clocks and automata. Though the author's justification for including Zayas could have been better developed, Anxieties nonetheless provides insightful analysis of the manner in which Zayas's works mirror the treatment of female corpses in anatomical studies. Fernández also briefly studies Baltasar Gracián's oeuvre as a contrastive example, since Gracián's texts lack specific anatomical references and express no unease about inner spaces. Fernández displays an impressive level of erudition in referencing early modern literary, religious, and medical discourse and classical literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above. --Patricia W. Manning, University of Kansas