Abject pilgrimage and healing in Jaume Roig's Spill

Area of Science:

• Medieval literature
• History of medicine
• Gender studies

Background:

• The 15th-century text "Spill o Llibre de les dones" by Jaume Roig critiques earthly women, especially female healers.
• Roig subverts the concept of pilgrimage to portray women as harmful to male pilgrims.

Discussion:

• The author argues that Roig's critique of women healers reflects broader societal efforts to marginalize traditional healing practices.
• Roig promotes reliance on the Virgin Mary for healing, contrasting her "efficacious ministrations" with the perceived unreliability of earthly women.

Key Insights:

• Medieval pilgrimage motif used to discredit women healers.
• Critique of "earthly women" and promotion of divine healing.
• Social marginalization of traditional female healers in the 15th century.

Outlook:

• Further research into the social and medical context of Roig's work.
• Analysis of gender dynamics in medieval healing practices.
• Exploration of the literary use of pilgrimage as a critical tool.