Why is sor juana ines de la cruz important

Interested not in marriage but in the furthering of her studies, Juana entered the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites of St. Joseph, where she remained for a few months. In , at age 21, she entered Convent of the Order of St. In the Convent, Sor Juana had her own study and library and was able to talk often with scholars from the Court and the University. Besides the writing of poems and plays, her studies included music, philosophy and natural science.

Her small room was filled with books, scientific instruments and maps. Though accomplished, Sor Juana was the subject of criticism by her political and religious superiors.

In , a letter of hers which criticized a well-known Jesuit sermon was published without her permission by a person using the pseudonym "Sor Filotea de la Cruz. Sor Juana's reply, the now famous Respuesta a Sor Filotea has been hailed as the first feminist manifesto, defending, among other things, a woman's right to education.

Her fervent reply was the subject of further criticism, and the Archbishop and others demanded that she give up any non-religious books or studies. She continued to publish non-religious works, among them several villancicos a poetic form typically sung as a religious devotional for feasts of the Catholic calendar about St.

Catharine of Alexandria, written in a more feminist than religious tone. During this time, Sor Juana was required to sell her books as well as all musical and scientific instruments. Sor Juana responded by devoting herself to a rigorous penance, giving up all studies and writing. In , a plague hit the convent. On April 17, after tending to her fellow sisters, Juana died from the disease around the age of forty-four. You go girl! It is no surprise to me that she chose to be a nun.

No woman could have pursued academia without the permission and protection of a rich father, which she did not have, or the highest and almighty father, God. And even then the damn bishops got in her way.

Why oh why do men fear our power so? Why else would people work so hard to suppress us? Thanks for your comment! I totally agree. I try to keep the tone on this blog neutral, but I was so angry and saddened especially reading about the last few years of her life. I just imagine all the pressure she was under her entire life, being consumed by this unquenchable fiery passion to learn more and more, and being shot down on all sides. Who knows what else she would have accomplished if she had had as much freedom as 17th century men like John Milton or Isaac Newton.

Her name should be just as famous as theirs. Reading her writing even translated makes me feel such a connection to her. Congratulations for you blog and rescue the name of so wonderful women in the history! I always have thought that Sor Juana was a woman in a wrong time. She was ahead of her time. There is a book in spanish written by M. Lopez Portillo where the author talks about the early years of Juana. It is amazing to see how she was so enthusiastic about knowledge.

As you said, with different conditions, I am sure that she could have the opportunity to do more than poetry. Great site and biography! As a historian focusing on Latin America, I learned about her in graduate school, but had to revise the interpretation that she became a religious because of a failed romance.

Thanks for sharing. She definitely was a kick-ass woman. She is my second cousin separated by 10 generations.

She defended the right of all women to attain knowledge and famously wrote echoing a poet and a Catholic saint , "One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper," justifying her study of secular topics as necessary to understanding theology.

Today, Sor Juana stands as a national icon of Mexican identity, and her image appears on Mexican currency. She came to new prominence in the late 20th century with the rise of feminism and women's writing, officially becoming credited as the first published feminist of the New World. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.

He was married to Marie Antoinette and was executed for treason by guillotine in Henry the Navigator, a 15th century Portuguese prince, helped usher in both the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave trade. Henry IV granted religious freedom to Protestants by issuing the Edict of Nantes during his reign as king of France, from to While in the service of Spain, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first European voyage of discovery to circumnavigate the globe.