A Woman of Genius: The Intellectual Autobiography of Sor Juana Ines de La Cruz

Reading Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz's poignant and illustrative Reply to Sor Filotea de la Cruz, I am baffled that yet so little is known and read in the English-speaking world of the poet-feminist-theologian whose image appears on the Mexican 200 peso note. Never straying from a tone of deep humility and respect, her letter scrutinizes each underlying premise of her addressee's suggestion that she focus her attention on religious matters, rather than on the publication of literary and critical works. With artful impunity, she calls into question the doctrinarism of her critic and goes so far as to implicitly compare her intellectual persecution to the persecution of Christ at the hands of his accusers. The eloquent veracity of Sor Juana's argument in regards to the value of secular studies for the benefice of achieving a broader and truer understanding of Biblical teachings draws me to wonder that her work is not required reading at all private Christian universities, Spanish-speaking or otherwise. When viewed from the context that its author was a self-educated seventeenth-century nun in Mexico City, the progressive and profound content of the letter is nothing short of astounding. Humbly she persuades her reader that her desire to read and learn and instruct is a trait that can be neither condemned nor praised, because it is as natural to her as the desire to live. Plainly she reiterates that any recognition that she receives on account of her writings is merely the result of an undeniable passion that God himself has instilled in her. Masterfully demonstrating the depth of her knowledge of the Bible and other Classical and religious writings, she tears down the notion that her inclination to pursue this passion should be denied merely on the grounds of her sex. Sor Juana's prose are immensely enjoyable and Margaret Peden's translation is beautiful, making this a book that is altogether impossible to pass up.