“Le diable, le monde et la chair”: las santas mártires en las literaturas de cordel españolas, italianas y francesas

Abstract

The Spanish Literatura de cordel, the French Bibliothèque bleue and the Italian Letteratura muricciolaia have several characteristics in common. This paper analyses the female martyr character in these three kinds of literature beginning at the end of the 18th century. By studying the stories of five female saints (St. Margaret, St. Regina, St. Christina, St. Barbara, and St. Philomena), we will be able to highlight common patterns in the construction of the stories, in the description of the characters, and also in the ideal of holiness. The aim is to establish if the female martyr, as she appears in the chapbooks, could have served as an example for women.