Sor Juana Ines de La Cruz: Religion, Art, & Feminism [Paperback]

Pamela Kirk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1999 | ISBN-10: 082641169X | ISBN-13: 978-0826411693

Recognized by Octavio Paz as one of the five greatest Spanish poets, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was born in 1648 in San Miguel Neplantla, a village south of Mexico City. In 1669 she entered the Convent of the Order of St Jerome where she stayed until her death in 1695. She wrote plays, poetry and prose. This text introduces Sor Juana as a major theological figure, who excelled in "sacramental drama" and liturgical poetry. Pamela Kirk argues that she stands out not only as a great thinker, buit as a complex person, at once brooding and melancholy, as well as witty and joyful. Equally noteworthy is Sor Juana's clear awareness of her role as a woman artist in a social and ecclesiastical milieu that was militantly patriarchal. Kirk explores Sor Juana's life and work as a contribution to Latin American women's theology.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Kirk (theology, St. John's Univ., New York) acknowledges Octavio Paz's "groundbreaking biography of Sor Juana"?in which "he rates her among the first five lyric poets of Spanish language"?but feels Sor Juana's theology has received insufficient acclaim. As Kirk reveals, Sor Juana was an independent-thinking creative woman and Hieronimite nun who was also a prolific and varied writer: "Whereas most women religious writers...drew their authority from mystical experience, Sor Juana writes with the authority that comes from her intellectual and literary talents." Analyzing Sor Juana's major works, Kirk reveals her perceptivity in recognizing Mary as a problematic model for women, her wit in responses to critics, the daring of her sermonicly structured Athenagoric Letter, the breadth of her concerns, and her explicit awareness of limitations imposed on women because of gender, as well as women's need for education. Recommended for academic, theological, women's studies, and Spanish collections.?Carolyn M. Craft, Longwood Coll., Farmville
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

This reviewer found most enlightening the brief summary of Sor Juana's life, discussion of the role of learned women, and the analysis of five existing portraits of Sor Juana. Kirk also carefully presents the famous response to official church criticism, in which Sor Juana defends her right to develop and use her intellectual and literary talents and the need for greater access to education for women. -- Choice, June 1998 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082641169X
• ISBN-13: 978-0826411693
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,462,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Comprensive Glimpse, May 8, 2000

By 

Tammylynne Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sor Juana Ines de La Cruz: Religion, Art, & Feminism (Paperback)

After writing my thesis on Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, entitled "La Evolucion del Feminismo en Mexico a traves la poesia de Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz," I think that I have a good grasp on what information is most relevant to her life and literary works. I have never read a book that examines the author so closely written in English! In addition, Pamela Kirk's perspective as both a literary critic and theologian provide many perspectives that I had never considered. Don't hesitate to buy this book!