Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Criticism
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695), born Juana Ramirez de Asbaje, is celebrated as a preeminent Mexican poet, playwright, and autobiographer of the seventeenth century. She emerged as a formidable intellectual force, recognized for her lyrical prowess and defense of women's intellectual rights, positioning her as a pivotal feminist figure. Her most acclaimed poem, El sueño, is notable for its rich tapestry of historical, mythological, scientific, and philosophical imagery, as explored in El sueño: The Baroque Imagination and the Dreamscape and Time and Space in Sor Juana's El sueño.
Born in New Spain, now Mexico, Juana was known for her precocious intelligence, composing poetry by the age of eight. Her intellectual pursuits were fostered in the viceregal court, and later, as a nun, she continued to blend her scholarly interests with spiritual life. Her assertive defense of her scholarly pursuits is most famously captured in Respueta a Sor Filotea de la Cruz, a poignant document of feminist literature.
Sor Juana's oeuvre is vast, comprising personal lyrics, religious verse, and villancicos, which reflect a synthesis of love, mythology, and theology, and are analyzed in Music Box. Her sonnets, regarded for their structure and intellectual depth, often explore themes of love and jealousy, as discussed in Love in Some of Sor Juana's Sonnets.
Critics have celebrated her integration of diverse intellectual elements and influences from great Spanish poets, as noted in her vibrant, innovative verse. Her work also delves into the intersection of politics and literature, as highlighted in The Blasón of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Politics and Petrarchism in Colonial Mexico. Juana's legacy is cemented by her role as a trailblazer for female intellectualism, a theme extensively examined by scholars, including Octavio Paz and Arthur Terry.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Criticism
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Juana de Asabaje
(summary)
In the following essay from 1955, Graves categorizes Cruz as a woman of poetic genius and compares her to other great female poets.
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The Poetry of Sor Juana
(summary)
In the following essay, Flynn provides a stylistic and thematic overview of Cruz's poetry.
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Human and Divine Love in the Poetry of Sor Juana Inès de la Cruz
(summary)
In the following essay, Terry analyzes Juana Inès de la Cruz's treatment of divine and romantic love in her verse.
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Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
(summary)
In the following essay, Paz explores the autobiographical aspects of Juana Inés de la Cruz's work and places her within the context of historical and political events of seventeenth-century Mexico.
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The Burlesque Sonnets of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
(summary)
In the following essay, Luciani places Juans Inés de la Cruz's burlesque sonnets within the context of the courtly love tradition.
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Emblems of Praise in a Romance by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
(summary)
In the following essay, Luciani discusses stylistic elements of Cruz's panegyric poem to Condesa de Galve.
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Music Box
(summary)
In the following essay, Paz traces the development of the villancico and surveys Cruz's poems in this genre.
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Signs of Nature and the Nature of Signs in the Sonnets of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
(summary)
In the following essay, Friedman offers a semiotic reading of three sonnets composed by Cruz.
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El sueño: The Baroque Imagination and the Dreamscape
(summary)
In the following essay, Nanfito explores the function of spatial forms and their interrelationships in Cruz's El sueño, asserting that the poem is "a dream of height which enables the reader to transport himself to the domain of the imaginary, to the cosmic realm of the infinite, where one is free to experience the dynamics and depth, the intensity and immediacy of the immanent and the intimate, both features of the fantastic landscape."
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Sor Juana's Gaze in Romance 48
(summary)
In the following essay, Carrasco discusses Juana Ines de la Cruz's treatment of sexuality in Romance 48.
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A Feminist Rereading of Sor Juana's Dream
(summary)
In the following essay, Sabat de Rivers asserts that El sueño was written from a female perspective and discusses its feminine characteristics.
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Time and Space in Sor Juana's El sueño
(summary)
In the following essay, Nanfito examines Cruz's treatment of time and space in her most famous poem.
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The Blasón of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Politics and Petrarchism in Colonial Mexico
(summary)
In the following essay, Rabin discusses the literary and political implications of Cruz's use of the blasón in her poetry.
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Love in Some of Sor Juana's Sonnets
(summary)
In the following essay, Sabat de Rivers explores the defining characteristics of Cruz's love sonnets.
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Juana de Asabaje
(summary)
- Further Reading