«La Perfecta Casada»: from the Model to Representations. Francisca Zorrilla’s Biography, Written by her Husband

Abstract

The existence of feminine models for Castilian women in the «postridentine» age is well known. Among these models, it stands out a work written by the Augustinian Fray Luis de León (1583). The great number of editions of the work proves its great success. «La Perfecta Casada» set a prototype of what a married woman should be and was read by many women. Decades after the appearance of this work, another was published in Alcalá (1661), which is not an ideal proposal but the story of a real life: the posthumous biography of Francisca Zorrilla written by her husband, Gabriel Álvarez de Velasco, judge at the «Chancillería» of Santa Fe. Her life, especially her married life, was exemplary. This work focuses on the biographical genre, on the author, on the story of life in its descriptive aspect, as well as on the adjustment to the archetype.

Keywords

• biografía
• historia de la mujer
• siglo xvii
• mujer y matrimonio
• representaciones culturales