"The Place of Speaking for a Speaking That Has No Place". Teresian Mental Prayer between Spanish Erasmianism and Franciscanism

The cultural environment of Charles V’s Spanish Empire, where Erasmianism met the Franciscan tradition, gave rise to an experimental quest for new religious practices that contributed to the diffusion of interiorizing meditative techniques. This essay focuses on mental prayer in the writings of Teresa of Avila, following the trail of Erasmianism and Franciscanism in spiritual literature. In order to measure the importance of such legacy, this research analyzes the relationship between the feminine discourse produced by Teresa of Avila and the male authority of different spiritual directors who watched over her camino de perfección. In particular, within a theoretical framework based on Michel de Certeau’s understanding of mysticism, it will be shown that Teresian practice is not structured as a rigorous method, but more properly as a real double bind between the need for regulated prayer and the impossibility to capture the mystical event.