Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: An Artistic Inquiry

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Date

2023-05

Authors

Senatori, Isabella

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of Oregon

Abstract

This thesis offers a two-pronged inquiry into the work of seventeenth-century nun and polymath Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695). I explore Sor Juana as a gendered writer through two disciplines: literary criticism and painting. By using an interdisciplinary approach to engage with Sor Juana, I can explore popular and scholarly realms of discourse and reflect Sor Juana’s own creative and versatile approach to intellectual pursuit. I explore the theme of gender in the context of seventeenth-century New Spain, a selection of Sor Juana’s literary work, the portraiture and the representation of women, as well as in Sor Juana’s lived experience. I position the poem, “Hombres necios” (“Foolish Men”), as an avenue to understanding Sor Juana since it is so often the first poem that readers encounter. The cumulative work of this project contributes to current discourse in Translation Studies, Sor Juana Studies, and Decolonial Studies to showcase the relevance and brilliance of Sor Juana’s message as she touches on pertinent topics of race, class, and gender.

Description

55 pages

Keywords

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Spanish, Artistic Inquiry, Literary Criticism

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