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heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
3.0
Sor Juana is interesting as a person, but I find her poems too romantic for my taste. Alas, she was a woman of her time (1648-1695). But this book is worth it for the chance to read the famous, scathing letter she wrote in response to an open letter written by her bishop, masquerading as a fellow nun (ugh), criticizing her for being a woman who was too educated. She defends a woman's right to learn and study, and says brilliant things, such as claiming Aquinas might have been a better writer if he had to cook dinner once in a while, and “I believed, when I entered this convent, I was escaping from myself, but alas, poor me, I brought myself with me!” Sadly, she pretty much quit writing after that incident.
paul_viaf's review against another edition
4.0
It begins as the spawning of a universe, with a bang. & what it unleashes, we witness in marvel. It is quite a blessing for me to finally be privy to these words. I have long been in love with the myth of the instrument but to finally hear the notes it bestows makes my insides melt with the withers of beauty. She escapes not the lure of female flesh. The subject of many of her poems. Indeed she blooms in a desert, surrounded by misogyny. With keen intellect her thorns protrude warding off those who seek to do her quest for wisdom harm. I miss these wise beings though I’ve never met them. She houses profound love, desire, longing, despair. She is clever. She is strong. She is powerful. She is beauty. A well-read woman. An autodidact. She uses much pagan mythology for a catholic nun but what is to be expected of those of the 1600’s so close in proximity to the renaissance. She exhibits with grand knowledge the teachings of the Aristotelian & other scholastics. A privilege it would seem among women of the time. Erudite & yet never lacking passion. She knows the scientific terminology of the time. Those dealing at the atomic level, human physiology, anatomy, astrology. I kept wondering why I had such a fondness. It is because we share a bottomless curiosity. A will to ingest all information available to a single human being. It seems so deeply woven in that not to know pains her. Tugs vehemently at her cords. A painful note strummed over & over when reminded of that which is unknown, knowing so much exists. Mythology is so much a part of her writing. She displays an affinity for Paganism but perhaps it is en vogue subject matter for the time, what evokes intellectualism & academia. How often she refuses to be silenced. Refuses to stop learning. Refuses to denounce her strong nature. To quote Camus, The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion. As I read & her character begin to form I fall in love with her bravery, her quirkiness, her neuroticism, her eruditeness, & her precocity. She is charismatic, humble & yet so very rebellious. She bears all the ailments of intelligence, neurosis, sarcasm, humor, eccentricity, obsessive compulsive tendencies, being vocally opinionated on EVERYTHING. Truly a woman after my own heart & yet I get the feeling that no matter how many male hearts she’s captured, none could capture hers. One does not capture the light of heavenly bodies. You are merely able to sit back & enjoy in a deep admiration & perhaps we should just be content with that alone. My yearning does not quell. It is as our fondness for curiosity.
zingsho's review against another edition
3.0
I read bits and pieces of Sor Juana Inés when I accidentally bumped into her(thanks to Internet). She is one of the first feminist of America, an illegitimate child of a Spanish officer and born in Mexico City. She has a brilliant mind, self taught in many studies such as Latin, Nahautl, philosophy, composed poems and many more. All these was possible because she was able to access books through her grandfather and his library, something girls are forbidden back when the patriarchal society enforced such law. Not to forget her fierce mother Doña Isabel influence on her is where she gets her fierce and confidence from. Because of she stood out in the society and being a woman, even favored by many, she lost her privilege and suffered. I am so happy to have this book in my hands and read more about her works alongside appreciating the translator's journey in the making of this book. It's unfortunate that I do not understand nor speak Spanish, so much of the style and meaning might be vague for a non-speaking reader. This book comprises of her works which were strictly monitored and I could see that she was resilient in her words despite it.
karibaumann's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, I loved this! The translation was fresh and lovely.
msand3's review against another edition
3.0
I found this collection to be a mixed bag. The ballads and décimas did not have the lyrical flow or emotional impact that I was expecting, whether due to the poet or the translation, I am unsure. (I have liked Grossman’s previous translations.) The sonnets, on the other hand, were extraordinary. I have since begun reading another collection of Sor Juana’s poetry that contains only sonnets, and I am equally captivated. I can only conclude that I prefer Sor Juana’s sonnets to her other verse forms.
Her life is just as fascinating as her writing, which is why I was so disappointed by the lack of biographical detail in the introduction. I am new to reading Sor Juana, so I was hoping for more context in that regard. I have had to seek it in other editions. As with Grossman’s other books, this one is short on footnotes or much academic or critical evaluation.
On the plus side, the final third of the book is the entire letter from “Sor Filotea” (actually the Bishop of Puebla) and Sor Juana’s reply, which is worth reading alone for her defense of women having the freedom to read, write, and study at their leisure. The only downside is there isn’t much context at all beyond a footnote. Again, I have had to get these details elsewhere.
Perhaps my favorite section of the book was the prologue to the Divine Narcissus. But again, we are given no other information or context (either biographical or textual). I have already tracked down a collection of Sor Juana’s plays from my library for this purpose.
For all these reasons, I’m not sure if this is the best selection of Sor Juana’s writing. It’s a place to begin, but only like dipping a toe in the water. I imagine that those who have already read Sor Juana’s work would only be interested in this as a new translation of a few of her key writings.
Her life is just as fascinating as her writing, which is why I was so disappointed by the lack of biographical detail in the introduction. I am new to reading Sor Juana, so I was hoping for more context in that regard. I have had to seek it in other editions. As with Grossman’s other books, this one is short on footnotes or much academic or critical evaluation.
On the plus side, the final third of the book is the entire letter from “Sor Filotea” (actually the Bishop of Puebla) and Sor Juana’s reply, which is worth reading alone for her defense of women having the freedom to read, write, and study at their leisure. The only downside is there isn’t much context at all beyond a footnote. Again, I have had to get these details elsewhere.
Perhaps my favorite section of the book was the prologue to the Divine Narcissus. But again, we are given no other information or context (either biographical or textual). I have already tracked down a collection of Sor Juana’s plays from my library for this purpose.
For all these reasons, I’m not sure if this is the best selection of Sor Juana’s writing. It’s a place to begin, but only like dipping a toe in the water. I imagine that those who have already read Sor Juana’s work would only be interested in this as a new translation of a few of her key writings.
nickkmarshall's review against another edition
2.5
I was initially drawn to the works of Sor Juana by watching a short documentary on how she came to be such a notable Mexican figure - and I was glad to see that this story was not omitted from her selected works. Her poems are richly philosophical and progressive for the baroque period. This is highlighted by Rendondilla 92 - criticising men that blame women for the very thing that men are responsible for creating. I would alone give her poetry 5 stars for it eloquently used classical and biblical references to put across progressive and reflective points of view. Additionally, “Divine Narcissus” demonstrated a more empathetic view from Sor Juana that, although she was a practicing catholic nun, explored the beliefs of native Americans and Occidental compared to catholic conquistadors.
The letters for me would be ranked about 2 stars purely because of the density of biblical references. The classical references are very accessible and succumb to strong arguments and opinions - yet I felt as though the biblical referencing was too complex and frequent for me to enjoy it. Therefore averaging between the poetry and letters, I would rate around the 2-3 star mark.
The letters for me would be ranked about 2 stars purely because of the density of biblical references. The classical references are very accessible and succumb to strong arguments and opinions - yet I felt as though the biblical referencing was too complex and frequent for me to enjoy it. Therefore averaging between the poetry and letters, I would rate around the 2-3 star mark.
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