Spanish literature includes some of the world's greatest works and authors and is one of the most widely studied. Like all literatures, it reflects the culture that engendered it. Because Spain has thrived for centuries and has witnessed enormous social and cultural changes, its literature is particularly diverse. So too, the role of women in Spanish society has changed radically since the Middle Ages, and modern authors portray women very differently than their predecessors did. This reference approaches the literature of Spain from a women's studies perspective and illuminates the changing roles of women in Spanish society. Included are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for numerous topics related to Spanish literature, including literary periods and genres, significant characters and character types, major authors and works, and various specialized topics. Each entry discusses how the topic relates to women's studies. Thus, entries for male authors discuss their attitude toward women, entries for female writers consider the restrictive cultural contexts in which they wrote, and entries for specific works examine their representation of female characters and their handling of women's issues. Entries are written by expert contributors and close with brief bibliographies, and the volume concludes with a list of works for further reading. Though the volume focuses on the literature of Spain written in Castilian, it also includes survey entries on the present state of women's literature in Catalan, Galician, and Basque.