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Cervantes's engagement with skepticism illustrates a bilateral movement toward philosophizing fiction and fictionalizing philosophy, the result of which constitutes a rational narrative frame that weaves the flaws of society and human nature into critical story telling. In "La fuerza de la sangre," as critics have exhaustively shown, one observes the juxtaposition of a skeptical attitude and a construction of reality that discloses socio-political injustice within a patriarchal context. Whether one sees Cervantes as a voice on behalf of the oppressed or as a conservative, perhaps misogynist presence that argues for the perpetuation of the status quo, the interest surrounding "La fuerza de la sangre" speaks to the efficacy of both his methods and subject matter to instigate passion and inquiry. From this perspective, it may seem that little needs or can be added to the critical discussion. Nevertheless, to fully reveal the scope of Cervantes's preoccupation with the social and intellectual concerns that consumed his generation, one needs to consider one more fundamental element evident in "La fuerza de la sangre," the theological commentary.1 This analysis explores, through the lenses of skepticism, the way in which Cervantes unites two very contentious subjects-rape and divine intervention in human affairs-to create a fictional environment that mimics the theo-/ logical debate then taking place between Catholics and Protestants in Reformation and Counter-Reformation Europe.
The fact that rape occurs twice within the Novelas ejemplares exemplifies not only Cervantes's familiarity with the narrative possibilities offered by an ancient and common, albeit distressing, theme but also his acute aptitude for identifying which familiar motifs are best suited to an unfamiliar and highly provocative treatment. In "La fuerza de la sangre," rape not only is the sole responsible agent for the unleashing of all subsequent plot developments but it is presented within uncomfortable proximity and in ambiguous relationship to divine intervention through perceived miracles. Through this questionable contrast between evil and the divine, rape becomes the principal facilitator of a denouement that is, at least to modern readers, as implausible as it is shocking. Leocadia not only marries Rodolfo, her rapist, but she is also described as having fallen in love with him. This discussion will explore the possible roots of such disquieting outcomes by superimposing the skeptical treatment given by Church...