The Magic in Fernando de Rojas’ La Celestina in Light of his Literary Aesthetics

Authors

  • Natalia Arsentieva Spain

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24310/mhnh.vi20.16037

Abstract

The subject of this study is magic in La Celestina by F. Rojas. In the first part of the article, it is examined the philosophical background of the play related to the plot of the bawd- sorceress Celestina. Trying to influence the course of events, she binds young Calisto and Melibea by means of the manipulation of a magical object with the power to subdue and bewitch. It is also analyzed the lógos and práxis of the heroine’s magical rite. The work focuses on a hypothetical source of Pluto’s incantation and a new approach to the genesis of the figure of this god in the hymnic formula. Second part of the article includes debate over F. de Rojas’ innovations in the treatment of Magic. The research also deals with the magical-ritual dimension of the plot to see a complex interaction of marvelous and psychological features in Celestina’s discursive activity. Other aspects to be treated in the work are Rojas’ tradition and originality in the representation of the type of bawd-sorceress of his time compared to magicians in Greco-Roman tragedies. Besides, a new view on the polemical denouement of the play linked to both tragicomedy as a genre and the author’s neoplatonic thought.

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Published

2022-12-01

How to Cite

Arsentieva, N. (2022). The Magic in Fernando de Rojas’ La Celestina in Light of his Literary Aesthetics. International Journal of Ancient Astrology and Magic Research, (20), 5–50. https://doi.org/10.24310/mhnh.vi20.16037

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ARTICLES