Models and counter-models of the catholic ideal of purity: sexual morality and emotions in the early Francoist period

• Mónica García Fernández ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
• Localización: Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, ISSN-e 1469-9524, ISSN 1470-1847, Vol. 31, Nº. 1, 2025, págs. 67-79
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Drawing on a variety of sources including advice literature, testimonial sources, press and popular music, this paper explores the ideal of sexual purity in early Francoism. Purity is understood not only as a key element of post-war sex education but also of emotional education. Therefore, the paper also addresses the affective standards that were transmitted through this ideal, as well as some transgressions of these standards that we can find in the popular culture of the time. The research focuses on the construction and diffusion of this norm by prescriptive literature, while at the same time attempting to formulate some hypotheses about the limitations of its prescriptive power. The paper first addresses the construction and diffusion of the ideal of purity in Catholic advice literature. Secondly, it explores the construction of models of Christian purity through the cases of Maria Goretti and Josefina Vilaseca, who became “martyrs of purity.” Thirdly, the paper explores the counter-models that can be found in post-war coplas.