Approaches to Teaching the Works of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (review)

This collection of essays on Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz forms part of the Approaches to Teaching World Literature series published by the Modern Language Association. The editors divide the book into two parts, the first of which offers suggestions for materials pertaining to Sor Juana and her works, for use in the classroom and in individual research as well. These resources include information on both Spanish editions and English translations of the author's known works, as well as critical articles and literary texts meant to supplement the study of Sor Juana. The second part consists of articles by scholars who offer varied approaches to her works that can be utilized in courses; this part consists of four sections. The first, titled "Backgrounds: Gender, Power, and Religion in Colonial Society," provides valuable information to help students situate Sor Juana and her writings squarely within a socio-cultural, religious, and historical context. The next is "Sor Juana as a Baroque Writer: A Colonial Latin American Woman's Ways of Knowing," which deals with the complexities of Sor Juana's baroque writings. The third section, "Conventional Genres, Subversive Gestures," tackles some of the many controversies surrounding Sor Juana, including the recent discovery of texts that some scholars attribute to the nun, and others label as apocryphal. The last section of the collection, "Teaching Sor Juana in the Twenty First Century," provides insightful ideas on how to bridge the temporal, physical, and ideological spaces that divide the modern reader from the author and her texts.

As a whole, this collection of essays is an invaluable resource for instructors who wish to feature the writings of Sor Juana in their classrooms. Some approaches are specifically geared towards undergraduates, while others are more appropriate for more advanced students. Many of the suggested lesson plans also allow for diverse degrees of linguistic competence and proficiency in Spanish, as well as varying experience and background. Allowances are also made for the monolingual classroom, with English language translations, editions, and educational resources related to Sor Juana and her texts. While a few approaches are quite specific, others are general enough to adapt to differing teaching styles and focuses within the classroom setting. A few are highly structured and include a detailed lesson plan, but most provide a basic framework, and an instructor can build on either one to successfully formulate an interesting and engaging course. The comparative and interdisciplinary approaches are, in my opinion, the most intriguing. These are the approximations that do not limit themselves to the written word, but incorporate elements such as film, painting, the culinary arts, acting, and music. These are articles such as "Sor Juana, Food, and the Life of the Mind" by John A. Ochoa, "Musical Settings of Sor Juana's Works and Music in Works of Sor Juana" by Mario A. Ortiz, "Sor Juana in Text and in Performance: Confronting Meaning" by Catherine Boyle, and "Visual Technologies as Pedagogical Artifacts: Teaching Sor Juana in a Virtual World" by Mariselle Meléndez. Several others, most notably Daniel P. Hunt's "Sor Juana, or the Traps of Translation," incorporate translation as an analytical tool used to help students better understand and examine the text at hand. As far as which of Sor Juana's works should be featured in the classroom, the answers depend on the approach and the purpose of the course. Overall, the articles in this collection offer many insightful, and inventive approaches that challenge students while expanding their literary, cultural, and educational horizons.