CROSSING BOUNDARIES: Authority, Knowledge, and Experience in the Autobiography Vida y Sucesos de lo Monjo Alférez

Abstract

In Vida y sucesos de la Monja Alférez, seventeenth-century Basque nun Catalina de Erauso escapes from a convent, thereafter dressing as a man and pursuing adventure in Spain and the New World. As a cross-dressing soldier, Erauso's experience allows her authority as the first-person narrator of her own story. This essay analyzes the “yo” of Erauso's narrative, exploring her agency in narrating her own story.