Subject Stages

Subject Stages argues that the discourses and practices of marital legislation, litigation, and theatrics informed each other in early modern Spain in ways that still have a critical bearing on contemporary events in Spain, such as the legalization of divorce in 1978 and of same-sex marriage in 2005.

María M. Carrión is Professor of Spanish, Religion, and Women's Studies at Emory University.

Sherry Velasco, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Southern California:
'The façade of the "happily ever after" marriage plot as it is represented in theatrical performances of early modern Spain conceals nuanced cultural commentary on the social and legal functions of matrimony. Subject Stages, María M. Carrión's compelling examination of theatrical productions, canonical literary works, and other cultural texts, is an original and important analysis of the interrelation of law, theatre, and the institution of marriage.'