Translating the Female Body: Margaret Tyler's Mirror of Princely Deeds and Knighthood

Abstract

Abstract Margaret Tyler's Mirror of Princely Deeds and Knighthood, an English translation of the Spanish romance by Diego Ortúñez de Calahorra, has most often been studied for its preface, which defends the right of women to translate. But does the translation itself share the feminist principles espoused in the preface, and if so, how? This article analyzes the presentation of the female body in Tyler's text, paying particular attention to her addition of medical symptoms and diagnoses to the translation. It argues that Tyler's translation presents interpretation and diagnosis of the female body as a form of control, while also proposing the medical condition of lovesickness as a means for women to regain agency over their bodies.