Ambiguous Antidotes

In Ambiguous Antidotes, Hilaire Kallendorf explores the receptions of Virtues in the realm of moral philosophy and the artistic production it influenced during the Spanish Gold Age.

Hilaire Kallendorf is a professor of Hispanic and religious studies at Texas A&M University.

"The book confirms the great potential of Golden Age drama as a source of case studies. The commercial stage was a locus where popular demand intersected with the sort of normative discourse generated by the cultural, religious, and political elites: as Kallendorf points out, the theater can be viewed as an ‘artificially constructed laboratory for the study of moral behaviour.’"

Shifra Armon, University of Florida:

"This ambitious volume is written with great verve and stands to open many doors for future comedia study."

Juan-Luis Suárez, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Western University:

"This is a timely and important book that, in this time of social polarization and political crisis, reminds us that our social fabric depends on our daily practice of the classical virtues. Prof. Kallendorf builds on her own biography and her deep knowledge of the Golden Age tradition to offer us another outstanding piece of scholarship.".

Francisco Lopez-Martin, Denison University :

"There are many things to like about Ambiguous Antidotes: Kallendorf’s genial voice, the scope of the argument, the breathtaking range, the coverage of subjects from political philosophy, to theology, to poor relief, to medicine. With stunning erudition, Kallendorf ranges across early modern textual production with a refreshing curiosity."