De los espejos, el fénix y la mujer seráfica: imágenes platónicas del alma en las obras de Marguerite Porete, Hadewijch van Brabant y Mechthild von Magdeburg

The main focus of this essay is the study of the image of the mirror in the works of religious women from the 13th and 14th centuries (Mechthild von Magdeburg, Hadewijch van Brabant and Marguerite Porete), especially regarding the Platonic tradition which links this image with the soul. I will examine fragments of their literary work in order to discuss some physiological, anthropological and theological preconceptions implied in the use of the mirror-image, especially those developments concerning self-knowledge and deification (theosis). Additionally, I analyze the relationships between the mirror and the “mystique courtoise,” particularly with the theme of the Fountain of Narcissus