“Tsvetaeva is a poet of extremes.”—Joseph Brodsky, Footnote to a Poem
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| Marina Tsvetaeva, 1913 photo |
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Greatest Woman Poet of English Romanticism
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| Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1916 drawing |
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Pioneer Feminist of the New World
SOR JUANA INÉS DE LA
CRUZ, PIONEER FEMINIST OF THE NEW WORLD
Sor
Juana Inés de la Cruz, whose original name is Juana Ramírez de Asbaje, was an
outstanding seventeenth-century writer in what at the time was the Spanish
colonial empire and is today the United Mexican States (popularly, Mexico).
Sor
Juana is a notable figure of the Spanish Golden Age, which witnessed an
efflorescence of the arts—literature, the visual arts, architecture, and music.
She
has been described by Encyclopedia Britannica as “the last great writer of the
Hispanic Baroque and the first great exemplar of colonial Mexican culture.”
—Stephanie
Merrim, “Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Mexican Poet and Scholar,” Encyclopedia Britannica, August 1, 2017
Sor
Juana has been chosen as one of the top ten greatest women poets because of her
influence on the approximately 850 million people today who are the cultural
offspring of Spain and the Spanish colonial empire.
She
represents the rich, expansive culture and heritage of Spain and the colonies
of the former Spanish Empire in Central and South America, and if we add up the
various populations of this grouping of countries, excluding the 18 present-day
U.S. states that were formerly Spanish, the total equals approximately 850
million.
Although
Sor Juana was a highly accomplished poet in the Baroque style, it is not for
this reason that she has been selected as one of the top ten greatest women
poets. There are notables of the Baroque style, such as Miguel de
Cervantes or Lope de Vega, who outshine Sor Juana.
Sor
Juana has been selected because her influence extends beyond Hispanic culture and with
newfound relevance. This postmodern period in the West, she is celebrated as an
exemplar of nascent feminism. She is recognized as a pioneer feminist of the
New World.
Feminism
is a postmodern ideology of major and substantial influence today. It affects
not only women but also men and, to speak broadly, all possible categories of
gender. There are variants of this ideology so that it would be more accurate
to cite feminisms (plural) rather than feminism (singular).
Feminism
is defined by Lexico as “the advocacy
of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.”
More
nuanced and especially revealing of the charged, conflictive meanings residing
in the term is this discussion by Kathy Caprino in Forbes:
—Kathy
Caprino, “What Is Feminism, and Why Do So Many Women and Men Hate It?” Forbes, March 8, 2017
“There
are thousands who believe in equal rights but find ‘feminism’ a word and a
movement that doesn’t align with their personal beliefs or values,” the author underscores.
We will examine Sor Juana’s “You Foolish Men,” illustrating the underlying feminism.
We will examine Sor Juana’s “You Foolish Men,” illustrating the underlying feminism.
YOU
FOOLISH MEN by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
You
foolish men who lay
the
guilt on women,
not
seeing you’re the cause
of
the very thing you blame;
if
you invite their disdain
with
measureless desire
why
wish they well behave
if
you incite to ill.
You
fight their stubbornness,
then,
weightily,
you
say it was their lightness
when
it was your guile.
In
all your crazy shows
you
act just like a child
who
plays the bogeyman
of
which he’s then afraid.
With
foolish arrogance
you
hope to find a Thais
in
her you court, but a Lucretia
when
you’ve possessed her.
What
kind of mind is odder
than
his who mists
a
mirror and then complains
that
it’s not clear.
Their
favour and disdain
you
hold in equal state,
if
they mistreat, you complain,
you
mock if they treat you well.
No
woman wins esteem of you:
the
most modest is ungrateful
if
she refuses to admit you;
yet
if she does, she’s loose.
You
always are so foolish
your
censure is unfair;
one
you blame for cruelty
the
other for being easy.
What
must be her temper
who
offends when she’s
ungrateful
and wearies
when
compliant?
But
with the anger and the grief
that
your pleasure tells
good
luck to her who doesn’t love you
and
you go on and complain.
Your
lover’s moans give wings
to
women’s liberty:
and
having made them bad,
you
want to find them good.
Who
has embraced
the
greater blame in passion?
She
who, solicited, falls,
or
he who, fallen, pleads?
Who
is more to blame,
though
either should do wrong?
She
who sins for pay
or
he who pays to sin?
Why
be outraged at the guilt
that
is of your own doing?
Have
them as you make them
or
make them what you will.
Leave
off your wooing
and
then, with greater cause,
you
can blame the passion
of
her who comes to court?
Patent
is your arrogance
that
fights with many weapons
since
in promise and insistence
you
join world, flesh, and devil.
The
poem lists men’s faults, in synopsis, “You have contradictory expectations of
us. You are the cause of the lapses you lay upon us.”
Structured
as an argument, the opening salvo is the first stanza: “You foolish men who
lay / the guilt on women, / not seeing you’re the cause / of the very thing you
blame.”
The
succeeding seven stanzas cite instances of the opening charge—you seek to court
a Thais (Greek courtesan) but to marry a Lucretia (virtuous Roman noblewoman);
you complain if women treat you badly but mock them if they treat you well; you
say the modest woman is ungrateful, the one who entertains you, loose.
The
eighth stanza restates the charge—“You are always so foolish / your censure
is unfair,” after which the list resumes.
Throughout,
the poem composes memorable antitheses—“having made them bad, / you want
to find them good,” “Have them as you make them / or make them what you will.”
The
last three stanzas wrap up with stinging reproaches—“in promise and
insistence / you join world, flesh, and devil.”
Notably
Baroque qualities of the poem include moralizing and satire.
When
we consider that the poem was written in the context of Spanish patriarchal
society, it becomes readily apparent that the poem is feminist. The poem is not
simply an exposition about differences in the attitudes of the sexes. It is a
poem of protest against the bullying male attitudes the poet encountered that denigrate
and unfairly characterize women.
Sor
Juana had to struggle with the limited opportunities available to the women of
her time. Almost entirely self-educated, she entered a convent most likely because
she had been born out of wedlock to a family that was not wealthy so that the
nunnery presented the best option available for her to pursue her intellectual and literary
avocation.
As
explained by Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Convent
life afforded Sor Juana her own apartment, time to study and write, and the
opportunity to teach music and drama to the girls in Santa Paula’s school. She
also functioned as the convent’s archivist and accountant. In her convent cell,
Sor Juana amassed one of the largest private libraries in the New World,
together with a collection of musical and scientific instruments. She was able
to continue her contact with other scholars and powerful members of the court.
The patronage of the viceroy and vicereine of New Spain, notably that of the
marquis and marquise de la Laguna from 1680 to 1688, helped her maintain her
exceptional freedom. They visited her, favoured her, and had her works
published in Spain. For her part, Sor Juana, though cloistered, became the
unofficial court poet in the 1680s. Her plays in verse, occasional poetry,
commissioned religious services, and writings for state festivals all
contributed magnificently to the world outside the convent.”
A
great deal more can be said about this remarkable woman, but because this piece
is a blog post we will be economical in our treatment.
One
of Sor Juana’s most famous poems, “Love Opened a Mortal Wound,” wrestles with
the subject of romantic love. Hewing to the stylistic conventions of the Baroque,
its tightness, wit, vivid imagery, and lyrical flair speak to us from across
the centuries as a period masterpiece of a virtuoso, who, not incidentally, is
a woman.
LOVE
OPENED A MORTAL WOUND by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Love
opened a mortal wound.
In
agony, I worked the blade
to
make it deeper. Please,
I
begged, let death come quick.
Wild,
distracted, sick,
I
counted, counted
all
the ways love hurt me.
One
life, I thought—a thousand deaths.
Blow
after blow, my heart
couldn't
survive this beating.
Then—how
can I explain it?
I
came to my senses. I said,
Why
do I suffer? What lover
ever
had so much pleasure?
The
poem ends cleverly and paradoxically—the mortal wound elicits matchless
pleasure.
In
our post-Freudian world, we suggest that the poem borders on the pornographic.
No
wonder that upon the departure from Mexico of her aristocratic patrons, clerical
authorities quickly moved to curtail her objectionably worldly pursuits. She
was effectively silenced by the bishop of Puebla.
Today
Sor Juana is celebrated as a Mexican hero and a Mexican cultural archetype.
She
continues to influence modern and contemporary culture. Examples of her recent
legacy include the following.
-
Margaret Atwood composed “Sor Juana Works in the Garden,” publishing it in The Door (2007), a book of poetry.
-
Helen Edmundson wrote a play based on Sor Juana’s life, “The Heresy of Love,” staged
by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2012.
-
Google Doodle commemorated Sor Juana’s 366th birthday on November 12, 2017.
Her
continuing influence bespeaks her singular literary stature.
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| Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1981) by Enrique Fernandez Criach |
Saint Mary, Mother of Jesus
SAINT MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS
The
Bible is the scriptures of Christianity, a collection of books believed to be
directly inspired by the spirit of God. Most of the books, for example, the
Pentateuch, and the historical, prophetic, and wisdom books derive from the
scriptures of Judaism. Insofar as the books of the Bible constitute the foundation of two major religions, Judaism and Christianity, this collection of books is exceptionally influential in the world.
The total combined population of Christianity and Judaism is 2.32 billion, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center study. Christians comprise 31.2% of the world population, Jews 0.01%. See:
The total combined population of Christianity and Judaism is 2.32 billion, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center study. Christians comprise 31.2% of the world population, Jews 0.01%. See:
—Conrad Hackett and David McClendon, “Christians remain world’s largest religious group, but they are declining in Europe,” April 5, 2017, Pew Research Center
—Victor Kiprop, “Best-selling book of non-fiction,” May 25, 2018, Guinness World Records
The influence of the Bible is not only extensive but also intensive because it speaks to the spirituality of billions.
About one-third of the Bible has been estimated to consist of poetry. See:
About one-third of the Bible has been estimated to consist of poetry. See:
—John Piper, “God Filled Your Bible with Poems,” April 16, 2016, desiringGod.org
Biblical
poetry has been extolled for its specifically literary value. See, for example, the
following:
—Dr. Jennifer T. Parkhurst, “The Conventions of Biblical Poetry,” myjewishlearning.com
Did Mary, the mother of Jesus, really compose the Magnificat?
Scholars
say that Saint Luke the Evangelist was a second-generation Christian disciple
working from first-generation sources and traditions, especially the gospel of
Saint Mark and a collection of written and oral traditions known as “Q” for “Quelle.”
Saint Luke’s gospels differ from those of the two other synoptic gospels, St.
Mark’s and St. Matthew’s, in several important respects, for example:
“Luke’s
unique perspective on Jesus can be seen in the six miracles and eighteen
parables not found in the other gospels. Luke’s is the gospel of the poor and
of social justice. He is the one who tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich
Man who ignored him. Luke is the one who uses ‘Blessed are the poor’ instead of
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ in the beatitudes. Only in Luke’s gospel do we
hear Mary’s Magnificat where she proclaims that God ‘has brought down the
powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry
with good things, and sent the rich away empty’ (Luke 1:52-53).
“Luke
also has a special connection with the women in Jesus’ life, especially Mary.
It is only in Luke’s gospel that we hear the story of the Annunciation, Mary’s
visit to Elizabeth including the Magnificat, the Presentation, and the story of
Jesus’ disappearance in Jerusalem. It is Luke that we have to thank for the
Scriptural parts of the Hail Mary: ‘Hail Mary full of grace’ spoken at the Annunciation
and ‘Blessed are you and blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus’ spoken by her
cousin Elizabeth.
“Forgiveness
and God’s mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do
we hear the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by the overjoyed father.
Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by
washing Jesus’ feet with her tears. Throughout Luke’s gospel, Jesus takes the
side of the sinner who wants to return to God’s mercy.
“Reading
Luke’s gospel gives a good idea of his character as one who loved the poor, who
wanted the door to God’s kingdom opened to all, who respected women, and who
saw hope in God’s mercy for everyone.”
—“St.
Luke,” Catholic Online
—SATYALETHEIA, “The Gospel of Luke: Different than Other Two Synoptic Gospels,” Christ’s Ambassadors for Nepal, January 11, 2011
It
has been suggested, plausibly, that Saint Luke obtained the perspectives of
Mary and Elizabeth which we uniquely discover in his gospel by interviewing
them directly. It is for this reason, credible enough, that we may attribute
the Magnificat to Mary as the primary
source. The Magnificat’s similarity
to the prayer of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) and various passages from Jewish scriptures,
notably the psalms, indicate that Mary was familiar with Jewish scriptures to
the point that she had integrated them into her spirituality rather than that
Saint Luke had put together his own patchwork of exalted scriptural
verses.
A
masterpiece of Jewish and Christian prayer, the Magnificat is an outstanding work of theology. A great deal can be
said about it as a result. My personal commentary, on the other hand, is short.
Below
is the New American Bible translation (Luke 1:46-55).
My soul
proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has
looked with favor on his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages
call me blessed.
The Mighty
One has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
His mercy is
from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might
with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown
down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he
has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped
Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our
fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.
We
might describe the Magnificat as a “canticle
of contradiction.” The spirit of the world, which esteems power, wealth, all
sorts of display, is contradicted by the Spirit of God, who exalts lowliness
and stoops to fill the needs of humanity even to the point of overflowing (see 1 Corinthians 2:12).
The
motif of contradiction is well put according to Saint Paul:
The
foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is
stronger than human strength. …God chose the foolish of the world to shame the
wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose
the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to
nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.
(1 Corinthians 1:25, 27-29)
Isaiah
declares the same message as Saint Paul’s, God’s wisdom rises beyond human understanding:
My thoughts
are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord.
As high as
the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my
thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Contradicting
the spirit of the world is a motif that runs throughout the Bible. In
Deuteronomy, for example, God declares that Israel is his chosen people precisely
because of their smallness, their weakness.
You
are a people holy to the Lord, your God; the Lord, your God, has chosen you
from all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people peculiarly his
own. It was not because you are the largest of all nations that the Lord set
his heart on you and chose you; for you are really the smallest of all nations.
It was because the Lord loved you and because of his fidelity to the oath he
had sworn to your ancestors, that the Lord brought you out with his strong hand
and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of
Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)
The bows of
the mighty are broken, while the tottering girds on strength. (1 Samuel 2:4)
In
Isaiah, the prophet invites the thirsty and the hungry to fill themselves with
God’s largesse:
All you who
are thirsty—come to the water!
You who have
no money, come, receive grain and eat;
Come, without
paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!
Why spend
your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and
you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me
heedfully—listen, that you may have life.
I will renew
with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)
The
same motif of God feeding the hungry occurs in Hannah’s canticle:
The well-fed
hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry batten on spoil. (1 Samuel 2:5)
Exaltation
of the lowly by God, God’s deliverance of the needy—both are Biblical motifs.
High above
all nations is the Lord; above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like
the Lord our God, enthroned on high, looking down on heaven and earth?
He lifts up
the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill he raises up the poor, to seat them
with princes, the princes of his own people.
He gives the
childless wife a home as the joyful mother of children. (Psalm 113:4-9)
The barren
wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
The Lord
makes poor and makes rich; he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the
needy from the dust; from the ash heap lifts up the poor, to seat them with
nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage. (1 Samuel 2:5, 7-8)
God
favors the lowly, the weak, the needy, and the poor—it is a message consistent throughout
the Bible that the Magnificat
recapitulates.
Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J. offers us a perspective on the Magnificat—indeed, on Mary herself—that invokes liberation theology and feminism. It is an ideological, in the political sense of the word, perspective, inciting thoughtful reflection, unsettling the status quo. It is intentionally subversive and characteristically postmodern.
Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J. offers us a perspective on the Magnificat—indeed, on Mary herself—that invokes liberation theology and feminism. It is an ideological, in the political sense of the word, perspective, inciting thoughtful reflection, unsettling the status quo. It is intentionally subversive and characteristically postmodern.
The
following passage, for example, is written from the standpoint of liberation
theology:
“The
Magnificat gives us an image of Mary speaking with prophetic authority a
liberating hymn of praise. Regarding this canticle, [Martin] Luther observed: ‘She
sang it not for herself alone but for all of us, to sing it after her.’ Doing
so places us in intense relationship to the God who regards suffering with
utmost mercy and summons us into the struggle to build a just world.”
With
respect to the excerpt below we take note of the feminist spin:
“Applied
to women’s struggle for full participation in governance and ministry in the
church, the reversals of the Magnificat become rife with significance. Mary’s
prophetic speech characterizes as nothing less than mercy—God’s intervention
into a patriarchal social order.”
(I
revised the original punctuation.)
—“Mary,
Mary, Quite Contrary,” U.S. Catholic,
Vol. 68, No. 12 (December 2003), page 12
A
last attribute of the Magnificat that I would like to highlight is its
prophetic character, meaning, it foretells the future. Among the most
remarkable prophecies of the prayer is Mary’s exclamation, “From now on will
all ages call me blessed.”
The
first part of the Hail Mary, which calls Mary blessed, according to the
greeting of the angel Gabriel, appears in Christian liturgy as early as the
sixth century C.E. The second part originates at the beginning of the High
Middle Ages, around 1,000 C.E.
The
Hail Mary is an essential part of the Angelus and the Rosary, two
commonly recited Roman Catholic prayers, which attained their present form during
the High Middle Ages and the Late, respectively.
Popular
legend says that the Blessed Virgin Mary bestowed the Rosary to Saint Dominic
de Guzman in a vision.
The
Angelus and the Rosary venerate Mary with the title, “blessed.” She has been so
celebrated for many centuries. Yes, the prophecy has come true.
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| The Annunciation (1898) by Henry Ossawa Tanner |
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