Sister Joan Agnes of the Cross

Sister Joan Agnes of the Cross

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz is famous today as one of the most famous Spanish-language poets in literary history. The life and work of this 17th century Mexican nun impresses to this day. As a literary, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz concerned herself primarily with the themes of social justice and the equality of men and women, and as such became one of the most significant female figures of the 17th century. The compendium at hand collects some of her works, e.g. the famous poem Inundación Castálida. An impressive testimonial for world literature and for the significance of this impressive woman!

A Mythological Title for Socially Critical Poetry

The 17th century compendium collects evidence of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s work on 330 pages. Thus the compendium contains, inter alia, the 1689 poem titled Inundación Castálida. This title is a play on the myth of the nymph Castalia and the famous Castilian source. The water of this river, in which the nymph saves herself, is supposed to turn people into poets and lend them poetic inspiration. Additionally, the compendium of the Mexican nun’s work contains texts of hers, which are concerned with the theme of equality of forms, the right to education, and the freedom of expression.

A Famous Poet and Female Figure

This work – focusing on a exhortation for more democracy and tolerance and the literary battle for the rights of women – makes Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz an outstanding example for a significant female figure in the 17th century. As a poet from Spain’s Golden Age, the Siglo de Oro, her work possesses great significance for Spanish literary history down to the present.

“She researches, discusses, and teaches actively in service of the church because he who gave her understanding does not want her to stay in the dark”

This line from one of her poems about Saint Catherine wonderfully describes the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695) – translated as Sister Joan Agnes of the Cross – was a Mexican nun, poet, and Renaissance woman. She was born out of wedlock and reached the court of the Spanish viceroy at the age of 16. The young woman enriched cultural life there with her literary works. She finally decided to become a nun and entered the Order of St. Jerome as a 20-year-old. Her preoccupation with worldly knowledge and literature displeased church dignitaries, who instructed her to concern herself with spiritual literature from her proper métier. However, this changed nothing with regard to the significance that Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz has to this day!