The Marvellous and the Miraculous in María de Zayas

María de Zayas y Sotomayor (Madrid, 1590–1647?) was one of the few secular women writers of her age and enjoyed great popularity. A relatively little-studied but key aspect of her success was her deft deployment of the supernatural sensu lato. Her novellas abound with miracles, disembodied voices, premonitory dreams, deals with the Devil, sorcery and witchcraft. Magic is sometimes treated as real, whereas at other times, in line with inquisitorial practice, it is dismissed as fraudulent. So...