ABSTRACT
The complex and exceedingly diverse collection of texts written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz have inspired an impressive range of scholarship. 1 Nevertheless, in approaching the vast baroque archive of her literary production, many sorjuanistas have unjustly favored a few select canonical texts that are repeatedly included in literary anthologies, translated into other languages, read in university courses, and analyzed in scholarship. These frequently studied works, which tend to be the focus of most discussions of Sor Juana, are largely those that demonstrate her ability to rival the comedias and Italianate poetry of Spain’s Siglo de Oro or those that showcase her feminism: the Repuesta (Answer), Los empeños de una casa (House of Desires), and poetry dealing with philosophical, amorous, and feminist themes. Prioritizing particular texts because of their literary value or aesthetic refinement has sometimes contributed to the marginalization or frank condemnation of others. As recently as 1971 Gerard Flynn, a distinguished figure in Sor Juana studies, comments in the preface to his introductory volume on the author’s life and work:
…Sor Juana was a woman with a strong philosophical bent, who frequently wrote some of the best lyrical and dramatic poetry of colonial Latin America. It must be added, however, that many of her verses are uninspired lines that were written for important occasions of Church and State. (Sor Juana 4)
