The Discovery of Anxiousness
Joana Serrado
Studien der Kulturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft January 5, 2024 DOI: 10.14361/9783839465325 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical and philosophical study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Joana de Jesus, a Cistercian nun and disciple of Teresa of Avila, and her mystical writings |
| Key points | Proposes that "anxiousness" be treated as a category of mystical knowledge rather than a negative stage before freedom, framing it as a confrontation with mortality and finitude. Argues, through the life and writings of Joana de Jesus, that this feeling is culturally embedded and akin to the Portuguese "saudade," and that the mystical project reshapes feminist principles of autonomy, agency, and desire. |
Abstract
Are anxiety or dread negative stages before freedom, a confrontation with humans' own mortality and finitude? Joana Serrado inaugurates anxiousness as a category of mystical knowledge in this innovative historical and philosophical study. Based on the life and mystical writings of Joana de Jesus, a Cistercian nun, intellectual disciple of Teresa of Avila, this study shows the cultural embeddedness of anxiousness: a feeling akin to the Portuguese term »saudade« (yearning, Sehnsucht). A mystical project that reshapes feminist principles of autonomy, agency and desire.