The Politics and Poetics of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Analysing the occasional verse writings of the celebrated colonial Mexican nun, Thomas brings to light the particular socio-historical significance of these works, which until now literary scholars have largely considered inconsequential. Thomas demonstrates how these poems by the famous nun-composed for birthdays, funerals, religious feasts, coronations and the like-shed new light on Sor Juana's interactions with individuals in colonial society and throughout the Spanish Empire.