Erotismo, cuerpo y lenguaje en los Afectos espirituales de Francisca Josefa de Castillo

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the first part of the work Afectos espirituales, written by the mystic and nun Francisca Josefa de Castillo (1671- 1742) in light of three stages proposed by the theorist Michel de Certeau in his book The Mystic Fable. These stages marking the path of the mystical writer are: the volo, the emptying of the “I” which takes place before the mystical experience, and the the writing process itself, in which the mystic writer proposes a metaphor that allows her soul to speak. To go further, this analysis links these phases with the theory of eroticism and the inner experience proposed by Georges Bataille. It is shown that the mystic writings of Castillo are akin to key concepts in these theories such as the quest for continuity, the emptiness of the ego in the mystical union, and the problem of language to express the ineffable.