摘要：Literature of the Spanish Inquisition by English writers in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries confronts English religious intolerance. Anti-Catholic literature, a genre taken up by authors and authoresses alike, was an overwhelming presence reflective of a peculiarly English sentiment during this period, even in literature that did not outwardly claim to focus on religious values. However, within these intolerant writings another battle was simultaneously being waged: the female voice and female values versus the male voice and male values. Through the literary Gothic, women subverted their status as human and religious inferiors and gained access to justice and self-empowerment in ways that they otherwise could not.
Although reference to the female Gothic conjures up the names of Ann Radcliffe or Clara Reeve, I would like to suggest that Grace Aguilar's (1816-1847) early literature, written in the spirit of her contemporaries, encourages a discussion of race, politics and gender. Aguilar's use of the Spanish Inquisition in her early writing enabled her to initiate a dialogue with early nineteenth century gender discourse and address contemporary issues through a romanticized vision of a politically charged past. As an Anglo-Jewess, Aguilar wrote across nationalities and races to create a unique and empowering image of the domestic woman for both the Jewish and Gentile women readers of her day. 'The Edict' (1844), Aguilar's first published text, is her statement that a woman's sacrifices for her faith and religious spirit will be rewarded.
