Spain Under the Gaze of a French Woman:The Relation du Voyage d'Espagne (1691) by Madame D'Aulnoy

Madame d’Aulnoy’s "Relation du voyage d’Espagne" (1691) had an immense literary importance and can be considered a mirror to the culture of Spain and its customs in the late Seventeenth-Century. Madame d’Aulnoy’s observations do not aim to pass judgment on Spanish culture nor are they an attempt to promote to French culture over that of Spain. However, by observing the culture and customs of the Spanish Other her observations allow her to define her own identity as a French women. This article will examine how this French female writer, Madame d’Aulnoy, portrays Spanish women and to what extent the prejudices and practices of classical travel literature are present in her descriptions.