Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz...Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Response to the Most Illustrious Poetess Sor...
Transcript of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz...Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Response to the Most Illustrious Poetess Sor...
HUM102CulturalEncountersII
SorJuanaInésdelaCruzResponsetotheMostIllustriousPoetessSorFiloteadelaCruz
Dr.SandrineBertauxAssistantProfessorofHumanitiesBoğaziçiUniversity9March2020
SorJuanaInésdelaCruz(1648-1695)
Writer,composer,Baroquepoet,philosopherandnun
The“TenthMuse”
OutlineoftheLecture
1) ColonialEncountersinNewSpain:TheAztecCivilizationandtheSpanishConquest
2)Racialmixingandhierarchy:thecastapaintings3)SorJuanaInésdelaCruz:Acontributiontothe“querelledesfemmes”(the“womanquestion”)
TheReconquistaandtheSpanishConquestoftheNewWorld
1492FallofGranada
ColumbusreachestheBahamasislandsandHispaniola
15-16thcLimpiezadesangre
1521FalloftheAztecempire
1533FalloftheIncaempire
1550ValladolidDebate
Europeanexplorations15-16thcentury
TreatyofTordesillas,1494
TheColumbianExchange
America:anobjectofdesireStradanusc.1588-89:“Americarisestomeet
Americus”
TheAzteccivilization
Tenochtitlan
TheAztecAlphabet
TheConquistasdores
HernanCortés FranciscoPizarro
TheConquistadoresatwork
BrutalityoftheSpaniards
Syncretism:DíadeMuertos
RacialmixingandCastapainting
AletterfromSisterJuanatoSisterFilotea?
SorJuana“Larespuesta”1691:“Mymostillustrioussenora,dearlady.”(1)“howtoexpressmyappreciation..forhavingmyscribblingsprinted,agiftsoimmeasurableastosurpassmymostambitiousaspiration,mymostferventdesire,whichevenasapersonofreasonneverenteredmythoughts.”(1)
SorFilotea=ThebishopofPueblaCommissionedSorJuanaacritiqueofthesermonofaJesuitpriest;Publisheswithoutherconsent:1690AthenagoricLetter;InjunctiontoSorJuanatodevoteherselftofaith(vs.secularmatters)
SorJuanaInésdelaCruz
• Acriolla:SpanishfatherandNewSpain-bornmotherofSpanishancestry;
• Illegitimate• Raisedonthehaciendaofhergrandfather;accesstohislibrary
• Lady-in-waitingatthecourt;• 1667enterstheconvent:anunwithamaidandalibrary
Abiographicalaccount“Ibegantoplaguemymotherwithinsistentandimportunatepleas:sheshoulddressmeinboy’sclothingandsendmetoMexicoCitytolivewithrelatives,tostudyandbetutoredattheUniversity.”
“Ienteredthereligiousorder,knowingthatlifethereentailedcertainconditionsmostrepugnanttomynature;butgiventhetotalantipathyIfeltformarriage…”
Theologyasqueenofsciencesandsecularmatters
Galileo
Queeninwhatthesubject-matterNotinmethodologyØ Separationreligionandscience
InésdelaCruz
“forhowcouldoneundertakethestudyoftheQueenofsciencesiffirstonehadnotcometoknowherservants?”(4)
Athousandsmeditations
“…studyandmorestudy,withnoteachersbutmybooks.ThusIlearnedhowdifficultitistostudythosesoullessletters,lackingahumanvoiceortheexplicationofateacher.”
“Iundertookthisgreattaskwithoutbenefitofteacher,orfellowstudentswithwhomtoconferanddiscuss,havingforamasternootherthanamutebook,andforacolleague,aninsentientinkwell.”
The“philosophiesofthekitchen”
“Butlady,aswomen,whatwisdommaybeoursifnotthephilosophiesofthekitchen?..hadAristotlepreparedvictuals,hewouldhavewrittenmore.”
The“querelledesfemmes”(disputeofwomen”i.e.thewomanquestion)
“Whatthenistheevilinmybeingawoman?”Ø Defenseoftherightsofwomentobeeducatedandtoteach:
Letwomenkeepsilenceinthechurch..”infactitisnotpermittedofwomentoreadpubliclyinchurch,norpreach,whydotheycensurethosewhostudyprivately?”
Questions
• HowdoesherbiographicalaccountcomparewiththefictionalcharacterofPortia?
• DoyouthinkthatshecanclaimlikeDescartesdid“IthinkthereforeIam”?
• HowwouldyoucompareherargumentstoShylock’sclaimofacommonhumanity?