Hey Aysha, It sounds like you have a pretty clear idea of the sources you want to draw on for your paper. If I understand it right, your tentative thesis is that Caterina was not a man trapped in a woman's body, but rather an individual remaking their identity through her actions and also the narrative she wrote. It's hard for me to picture how elements of her text could really get at her gender identity (especially if it is primarily action as you say) but I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with such a fun source!
Hi Aysha, You have a lot of really good background and summary of your topic here - you clearly know the work really well and have done your secondary source research! The paragraph that starts on page three and ends on page four ("To approach fully testing this hypothesis . . .") does cover a lot of sub-topics though, and makes me wonder what exactly the main scope of your paper is, and how much it will focus on form versus border/gender crossing. But I think that's a question that will easily be solved, maybe as soon as next week's outline! good luck!
Really interesting stuff here. The theme of border crossing and gender identity is extremely complex and definitely a rich topic. I was wondering if you were developing the theme of Catalina de Erauso fashioning her identity/crossing boundaries through her account itself? Was her account itself the realization (or failure) of her self-fashioning? Or rather, were you mainly concerned with her actual ability to physically maintain/fashion the identity of a man in contemporary society? Either way, I think it would be extremely interesting if you could find any contemporary reactions to her account or other primary sources that reference her. I find it amazing as it is that she was accepted and allowed to continue living as a man!
first of all, "Vested Interests" is an amazing title for a book about cross dressing.
More seriously, this account sounds really fascinating, and you sound like you are very in control of the research process.
What you said about the style of writing and its correspondence to a literary genre is really interesting! It is interesting to ask, where/who is Catalina in her account, but also to ask, what kind of text would give us a more satisfying account of "who" she was. I suppose what I mean is that, Catalina seems so interesting because she seems so exceptional and defiant of social norms to us moderns, and that her less-innovative style of writing reminds us that she was still a member of society who obviously participated in all kinds of socially-prescribed, normal behaviors. You certainly touch on that in your prospectus, and I'm not saying anything new here, but I do think that is an interesting lens through which to consider her account and its secondary literature.
This truly sounds like a riveting account and Catalina sounds like the type of character who definitely warrants some research such as yours. A couple questions I had: when you mention that Majorie Garber argues "that Catalina became both a man and a nun (xiv) because there was no sense that she was unnatural or moral outrage", you then say "I’m going to resist this account". However, I did not see you explain this decision. It's fine to discount a claim by some other author but there should be a defined reason (I may just be missing your explanation though).
I am also a little confused about exactly what your hypothesis is arguing. You mention: "Rather than describing the internal workings in her life, she is asserting in every description of her exploits not simply who she wants to be recognized as, but also who she wants to see herself as. Catalina’s memoir is an attempt at becoming through assertion." Is the assertion you are exploring this gender identity or more simply the freedom to move out of Old Spain and live a life void of the hierarchies/structure that you mentioned? Or is her gender identity a microcosm that one can explore to look at the bigger picture of hierarchies/structure in old Europe?
I'm glad that you chose a topic that seems to really interest you. The only thing is that, as others point out, you seem to have many interests and it might be hard to cover them all. I was really surprised that Erauso could have been so readily accepted by society - maybe you could investigate why that was. I don't really think America was that different from Europe. Of course, there were huge variations but it largely replicated the aristocracy of Spain (unlike English colonies). It was no San Francisco.
I like this sentence you wrote "their sense of identity was irredeemably shaped by understanding themselves as part of hierarchical orderings and viewing their identity as strongly attached to social constructions and social recognition." I think this sentence would very interesting to elaborate in, in terms of how we are able to view her writings. It is interesting to see the ways her travel writings conform to a new genre, even though she herself does not seem to conform to other aspects of society.
Hey Aysha, I think you've long known that I've been intrigued by your topic, and it's great to finally see where you'll be going in print. Catalina lived an extraordinary life, but as you correctly indicate, who was the person behind these exploits? Clearly her various escapades have been recorded, but what shaped her to act in these ways (which you're clearly trying to answer)? I think it's good that you'll examine differences between Spain and the new world, as well as gender relations an notions of sex at the time. This should be a very interesting paper on how the times and attitudes of her surroundings created the "Lieutenant Nun."
Hey Aysha,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a pretty clear idea of the sources you want to draw on for your paper. If I understand it right, your tentative thesis is that Caterina was not a man trapped in a woman's body, but rather an individual remaking their identity through her actions and also the narrative she wrote. It's hard for me to picture how elements of her text could really get at her gender identity (especially if it is primarily action as you say) but I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with such a fun source!
Hi Aysha,
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of really good background and summary of your topic here - you clearly know the work really well and have done your secondary source research! The paragraph that starts on page three and ends on page four ("To approach fully testing this hypothesis . . .") does cover a lot of sub-topics though, and makes me wonder what exactly the main scope of your paper is, and how much it will focus on form versus border/gender crossing. But I think that's a question that will easily be solved, maybe as soon as next week's outline! good luck!
Hi Aysha,
ReplyDeleteReally interesting stuff here. The theme of border crossing and gender identity is extremely complex and definitely a rich topic. I was wondering if you were developing the theme of Catalina de Erauso fashioning her identity/crossing boundaries through her account itself? Was her account itself the realization (or failure) of her self-fashioning? Or rather, were you mainly concerned with her actual ability to physically maintain/fashion the identity of a man in contemporary society? Either way, I think it would be extremely interesting if you could find any contemporary reactions to her account or other primary sources that reference her. I find it amazing as it is that she was accepted and allowed to continue living as a man!
first of all, "Vested Interests" is an amazing title for a book about cross dressing.
ReplyDeleteMore seriously, this account sounds really fascinating, and you sound like you are very in control of the research process.
What you said about the style of writing and its correspondence to a literary genre is really interesting! It is interesting to ask, where/who is Catalina in her account, but also to ask, what kind of text would give us a more satisfying account of "who" she was. I suppose what I mean is that, Catalina seems so interesting because she seems so exceptional and defiant of social norms to us moderns, and that her less-innovative style of writing reminds us that she was still a member of society who obviously participated in all kinds of socially-prescribed, normal behaviors. You certainly touch on that in your prospectus, and I'm not saying anything new here, but I do think that is an interesting lens through which to consider her account and its secondary literature.
Hi Aysha,
ReplyDeleteThis truly sounds like a riveting account and Catalina sounds like the type of character who definitely warrants some research such as yours. A couple questions I had: when you mention that Majorie Garber argues "that Catalina became both a man and a nun (xiv) because there was no sense that she was unnatural or moral outrage", you then say "I’m going to resist this account". However, I did not see you explain this decision. It's fine to discount a claim by some other author but there should be a defined reason (I may just be missing your explanation though).
I am also a little confused about exactly what your hypothesis is arguing. You mention: "Rather than describing the internal workings in her life, she is asserting in every description of her exploits not simply who she wants to be recognized as, but also who she wants to see herself as. Catalina’s memoir is an attempt at becoming through assertion."
Is the assertion you are exploring this gender identity or more simply the freedom to move out of Old Spain and live a life void of the hierarchies/structure that you mentioned? Or is her gender identity a microcosm that one can explore to look at the bigger picture of hierarchies/structure in old Europe?
I'm glad that you chose a topic that seems to really interest you. The only thing is that, as others point out, you seem to have many interests and it might be hard to cover them all. I was really surprised that Erauso could have been so readily accepted by society - maybe you could investigate why that was. I don't really think America was that different from Europe. Of course, there were huge variations but it largely replicated the aristocracy of Spain (unlike English colonies). It was no San Francisco.
ReplyDeleteI like this sentence you wrote "their sense of identity was irredeemably shaped by understanding themselves as part of hierarchical orderings and viewing their identity as strongly attached to social constructions and social recognition." I think this sentence would very interesting to elaborate in, in terms of how we are able to view her writings. It is interesting to see the ways her travel writings conform to a new genre, even though she herself does not seem to conform to other aspects of society.
ReplyDeleteMackenzie
Hey Aysha, I think you've long known that I've been intrigued by your topic, and it's great to finally see where you'll be going in print. Catalina lived an extraordinary life, but as you correctly indicate, who was the person behind these exploits? Clearly her various escapades have been recorded, but what shaped her to act in these ways (which you're clearly trying to answer)? I think it's good that you'll examine differences between Spain and the new world, as well as gender relations an notions of sex at the time. This should be a very interesting paper on how the times and attitudes of her surroundings created the "Lieutenant Nun."
ReplyDelete