The Politics and Poetics of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Women and Gender in the Early Modern World)

The Politics and Poetics of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz examines the role of occasional verse in the works of the celebrated colonial Mexican nun. The poems that Sor Juana wrote for special occasions (birthdays, funerals, religious feasts, coronations, and the like) have been considered inconsequential by literary historians; but from a socio-historical perspective, George Antony Thomas argues they hold a particular interest for scholars of colonial Latin American literature. For Thomas, these compositions establish a particular set of rhetorical strategies, which he labels the author's 'political aesthetics.' He demonstrates how this body of the famous nun's writings, previously overlooked by scholars, sheds new light on Sor Juana's interactions with individuals in colonial society and throughout the Spanish Empire." The Politics and Poetics of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz examines the role of occasional verse in the works of the celebrated colonial Mexican nun. The poems that Sor Juana wrote for special occasions (birthdays, funerals, religious feasts, coronations, and the like) have been considered inconsequential by literary historians; but from a socio-historical perspective, George Antony Thomas argues they hold a particular interest for scholars of colonial Latin American literature. For Thomas, these compositions establish a particular set of rhetorical strategies, which he labels the author's 'political aesthetics.' He demonstrates how this body of the famous nun's writings, previously overlooked by scholars, sheds new light on Sor Juana's interactions with individuals in colonial society and throughout the Spanish Empire. Introduction: Occasional Nun: Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Early Modern Women's Poetry, And The Occasional Mode -- The Wedding Preacher: Celebrating The Brides Of Christ -- The Poet Of Empire: Imperial Ceremony And Imitatio Horati -- The Chronicler Of Self: Flattery Will Get You Somewhere -- The Court Advisor: Queenship And Kingship In Occasional Works -- Conclusion: The Political Aesthetics Of Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz -- Appendix I: Sor Juana's Occasional Works. George Antony Thomas. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction Occasional Nun: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Early Modern Women's Poetry, and the Occasional Mode -- 1 The Wedding Preacher: Celebrating the Brides of Christ -- 2 The Poet of Empire: Imperial Ceremony and Imitatio Horati -- 3 The Chronicler of Self: Flattery Will Get You Somewhere -- 4 The Court Advisor: Queenship and Kingship in Occasional Works -- Conclusion The Political Aesthetics of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz -- Appendix Index of Occasional Verse -- Bibliography -- Index Analysing the occasional verse writings of the celebrated colonial Mexican nun, Thomas brings to light the particular socio-historical significance of these works, which until now literary scholars have largely considered inconsequential. Thomas demonstrates how these poems by the famous nun-composed for birthdays, funerals, religious feasts, coronations and the like-shed new light on Sor Juana's interactions with individuals in colonial society and throughout the Spanish Empire Examines the role of occasional verse in the works of the celebrated colonial Mexican nun. This book argues that they hold a particular interest for scholars of colonial Latin American literature. It demonstrates how this body of the famous nun's writings, previously overlooked by scholars. In this book, the author examines the poems that the famous nun, Sor Juana, wrote for special occasions, and explains why they hold a particular interest for scholars of colonial Latin American literature