Slaying the Beast: The Case of Beatriz in Sor Juana's and Agustín de Salazar y Torres's La segunda Celestina

Abstract

This essay examines female agency and deviance in two key scenes of La segunda Celestina as an act of monstrosity, a term that figures in this context as a transgression of gender codes. One of the three main female characters, Beatriz, is identified by her proclivity to hunt and her aversion to marry. While this may not be a new concept in comedia studies, the correlation between such an attitude and manifestations of monstrosity opens up the text to a reading that includes, but also transcends, the debate of authorial collaboration that has surrounded this text for a decade and a half. Through key discourses and descriptions, Beatriz exemplifies when monsters tend to emerge, how they are identified, and why soon thereafter they must be eliminated. Most importantly, Beatriz's actions demonstrate the modes by which monsters threaten social order. (BLG)