Chapter III - Sor Juana and the Infuence of the Coimbra Jesuits

Abstract

In this chapter I present two points that should be taken into account when reading the poem Primero Sueño by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. First off, I have sought the philosophical-poetic justifications for the text, as well as its possible interpretations, in order to demonstrate that any unilateral focus on its content and meanings must be shunned. Primero Sueño has to be read as it is, an open and polysemic philosophical poem that incorporates the cultural influences of a recently-born Novohispanic Criollismo in a novel fashion. Secondly, my investigation proposes a new reading of the poem, focusing on the connection and relevance of 17th century Jesuit theology to the author’s lines.