Reviews

The Divine Narcissus by Juana Inés de la Cruz

catherineofalx's review

4.0

"...su misma semejanza contemplando / está en ella, y mirando / a la Naturaleza Humana en ella. / ¡Oh fatales destinos de mi estrella! / ¡Cuánto temí que clara la mirase, / para que de ella no se enamorase, / y en fin ha sucedido!"

"He is contemplating his own likeness and seeing Human Nature. O fatal destiny of my star! How I feared that if he saw her clearly, he would fall in love with her, and finally it has happened!"

All the usual qualifications apply (colonial works are colonial; works written on commission reflect the values of the commissioner; autos sacramentales are inevitably heavy-handed allegories). But wow, this is beautifully written. Her lyrical gymnastics are remarkable—especially in the Echo and Narcissus conversations!!! The opening loa bending Aztec beliefs to sound Christian, the entire play bending the Narcissus myth to sound Christian, it's all immaculately constructed if problematic in a thousand ways. The sheer CRAFT here, though. SOR JUANA............MY FOREVER FAV.