Read this when
Reply to Sor Filotea (La Respuesta)
Told to stop studying and be a better nun, she wrote back a masterpiece. 1691 energy for anyone told to shrink their curiosity. 📚
Who it's for
The Reply is written to a bishop who publicly rebuked Sor Juana under the female pen name Sor Filotea, so readers who have been scolded by an authority for their ambition immediately recognize the situation.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a nun and writer in colonial Mexico, wrote this letter in early 1691 to the Bishop of Puebla, Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz. He had published her critique of a sermon by the Jesuit António Vieira without her permission, under the female pen name 'Sor Filotea', together with a letter urging her to focus on religious rather than secular study.
Where to find it
The Spanish original (1691) is public domain and freely available online (e.g., Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes). English translations (Peden; Arenal & Powell, Feminist Press) are in print and.
Before you start
Age: Ages 14+
I like good strong words that mean something.Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Chapter FOUR
