The Literature of Misogyny in Medieval Spain: The Arcipreste de Talavera and the Spill

The Literature of Misogyny in Medieval Spain examines the medical underpinnings of two major misogynist works from the 15th-century Iberian: Alonso de Martinez’s Arcipreste de Talavera and Jacme Roig’s Spill. Michael Solomon argues that these works gain their persuasive force by linking concerns over health and illness with men’s behavior toward women. Solomon shows how the demonization of women in medieval society was more than vaguely cultural; it was a legitimate aspect of the healing arts, considered vital to the well-being of men.