Juana Inés de la Cruz and the Theology of Beauty: The First Mexican Theology (Two Liturgical Traditions; 1) - Hardcover

Tavard, George H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0268012067 ISBN 13: 9780268012069

Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press, 2004

Synopsis

With Juana Inés de la Cruz and the Theology of Beauty, George H. Tavard presents the first thorough investigation of the theology of the greatest Latin American poet before our own time. HIs program is all the more important because she was the first woman of this continent to assert the right of women to study to the full extent of their capacities. An intelligent and intellectual woman, Juana Inés was eager to live a life of scholarship and felt "a great aversion to matrimony," which directed her to enter the convent in 1667. Tavard provides a thought-provoking analysis both of the theological ideas that Juana Inés expressed in poetry and prose and of the conclusions, provisional or definitive, she may have reached about herself and about humanity.

About this title

About the Author

George H. Tavard (1922--2007) was visiting professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, the Josephinum School of Theology, Marquette University, Hekima School of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya, Regis College at the University of Toronto, and the Catholic University of America. He attended Vatican Council II as a "peritus conciliaris," named by Pope John XXIII, and consultant to the Pontifical Secretariat for the Unity of Christians.

From Library Journal

In 1988, de la Cruz--indefatigable scholar, proto-feminist, and poet extraordinaire--was rescued from neglect in the English-speaking world by Octavio Paz's acclaimed biography Sor Juana ( LJ 9/1/88). Tavard, a distinguished theologian and ecumenicist, has written one of the first of what surely will be many specialized studies in English on de la Cruz. He demonstrates a close acquaintance with her life and poetry, as well as with the baroque conventions of her day and the role of beauty in the Christian theological tradition. Unfortunately, these various strands are not thoroughly integrated. As a result, Tavard's large claims for the coherence and originality of de la Cruz's theology, and his identification of her work as "the first Mexican theology," are inadequately supported. Nevertheless, his theological analysis of de la Cruz's life and work will interest readers seeking a fuller understanding of one of the 17th century's most fascinating figures.
- Steve Gowler, Wofford Coll., Spartanburg, S.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0268012067
• ISBN 13: 9780268012069
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 246