Sor Juana Ins de la Cruz, Critique of a Sermon and Other Letters

Sor Juanas Respuesta a sor Filotea (1691) is one of her most widely read works and an established text in the history of womens writing. Less frequently studied is the epistolary exchange to which it responds, particularly Juanas Crisis sobre un sermn (or Carta atenagrica, 1690), her response to a sermon by the Portuguese Jesuit Antonio Vieira on Christs greatest fineza, or demonstration of love. In the Crisis, Sor Juana puts into practice what she would later argue in the Respuesta: that women could, and should, engage in theological study, and that a womans well-reasoned argument would defeat any mans ill-founded and unorthodox thought. This is the first annotated, critical edition and English translation of the complete published exchange between Sor Juana and Manuel Fernndez de Santa Cruz, with a comprehensive introduction, commented textual variants, and extensive textual notes. The introduction explores how the Crisis can be read in relation to Juanas other works, including her love poetry, her eucharistic drama El mrtir del Sacramento, and Primero sueo. By analysing its central themes, this study argues that the Crisis is key to Juanas defence of womens learning, while also shedding light on her views on gender, theological enquiry, and the dynamics of love, both religious and secular.