Tales of Seduction: The Figure of Don Juan in Spanish Culture

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Don Juan is one of the intriguing creations of Western literature. A legendary seducer of women, trickster and transgressor of sacred boundaries, he has been the object of countless revisions over the centuries. The twentieth-century has viewed the figure afresh through the prism of its own cultural terms of reference and social concerns. Using an interdisciplinary approach, "Tales of Seduction" focuses on the intersections between myth, culture and intellectual inquiry. Sarah Wright takes Don Juan back to Spain, his birth-place, and examines the confluences of Spanish culture with aspects of Western intellectual history (medicine, psychoanalysis, linguistics), where she finds Don Juan continues to transgress the limits of culture from the early twentieth century to the present.

Reviews

'It is by far the most exciting and original book on the subject of Don Juan to date... a really sparkling read.' - Jo Labanyi, Professor of Spanish & Portuguese Languages & Literature, New York University; 'An uncommonly intelligent book that brings to light long-neglected authors and works and fits them into a cultural matrix whose dynamic character is brilliantly captured in the liminal figure of Don Juan. The book makes a significant and exciting contribution to many fields.' - Dru Dougherty, Professor of Spanish Literature & Theater, University of California, Berkeley; 'The extraordinary scope of Sarah Wright's engaging study narrates a varied take on Don Juan and his cultural descendents... Wright's incisive treatment indicates how successive generations of cultural "ambassadors", like Salvador Dali and Calixto Bieito, have reenvisaged the perennial seducer to suit the demands of the age. Tales of Seduction brilliantly interrogates both a national emblem and a transnational legend in ways that demonstrate his continued relevance to Cultural, Hispanic and Performance Studies.' - Maria M. Delgado, Professor of Theatre & Screen Arts, Queen Mary, University of London

Author Bio

Sarah Wright completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge and is currently Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London.