Veiling and Unveiling: The use of veils in Medieval and Early Modern Iberian texts

Abstract

This dissertation offers a critical examination of the veil as a symbol and literary device in Iberian literatures, from medieval Andalusi poetry to early modern Castilian frame tales. With an interdisciplinary approach, including but not limited to literary criticism, intellectual history, and gender and sexuality studies, I uncover how Iberian authors used the veil to explore a series of ambiguous concepts, including religious beliefs, social categories; and critique the status of marginalized characters like go-betweens, sex workers, and female characters that were often silenced or kept at the peripheries of the social hierarchies. My study analyzes the works of various authors, including Ibn Arabi, Wallada bint al-Mustakfi, Judah al-Harīzī, Maria de Zayas, and Miguel de Cervantes, among others, to demonstrate how the veil has been employed to negotiate cultural and religious exchange, critique societal norms, construct identities, and trace how these premodern attitudes and constructions continue to inform the veil’s significance today.