The movie I, the Worst of All chronicles the life of Sor Juana Inézde la Cruz, a 17th Century poet, scholar, and nun active in New Spain (colonial Mexico). A prodigy, Juana proved from a young age that she was adept in multiple languages, mathematics, science, music, and theology. Despite the recognition she gained for her ability, Juana was barred from entering university and instead entered a convent where she was free to exercise her able to study and create. Although her works were well-received in royal courts (she was popularly known as “the Tenth Muse”), her tendency to focus on “hard theology” and the importance of women's education meant that they were also considered borderline heretical. After being reprimanded by Church authorities in New Spain and facing further censure, Sor Juana ceased writing, sold her books for charity, and devoted herself to caring for her plague-stricken sisters before succumbing to the disease herself.
Sor Juana's story seems unique – after all, it was no small feat for a woman to get published and achieve fame for her intellect in Inquisition-Era Spain – but despite this, it does not seem to be one that most people know (at least not in the US). Perhaps she is not well known because of how she was censured by the Church, or because her works are in Spanish and Spanish texts are not often studied in curriculum in English-speaking areas, but there is something to be said for the power of the “tradition of silence” and its affect on repressing women's works. The “tradition of silence” is a term used by Chicana author Gloria Anzaldúa in her book Borderlands/La frontera to refer to the assumption that being “respectable” or “good” is tied into how much you speak – at least, if you're a woman or a girl. This assumption, while undoubtedly changing, still exists in cultures all over the world. English has a lot of terms that refer to people who talk too much – gossip, flirt, yenta, busybody, etc. – and they often have female connotations. It's a subtle way that our own language reinforces what the ideals are associated with genders. The notion of an ideal woman throughout history is often associated with being polite or soft-spoken.
One of the saddest things about “the tradition of silence” is that we aren't given to realize how often women have defied expectations of their day and gone on to speak of wonderful things. Sor Juana is one such woman, but she is not the only one. Another is Hildegard von Bingen, a respected German abbess and mystic who wrote about medicine, botany, theology, and composed poems and some of the most innovate liturgical music of the time – all in the 1100s. Catherine of Siena, the patron saint of Italy, is credited with convincing Pope Gregory XI to reinstate the Papacy in Rome, and who served as an adviser to his successor and multiple European regents, all while writing theological tracts. Shortly after her, in the late 1300s, the English Juliana of Norwich wrote theological texts about her visions of the Passion of Christ. Juliana met with another Englishwoman named Margery Kempe who wrote what is considered the first autobiography in the English language, which documented her religious experiences and many pilgrimages throughout Europe and Asia – and she was married with 14 children.
It is worth noting that the church provided space for all these women to demonstrate their intelligence and opinions – as it is worth noting that they came from wealthy families and are all linked to Europe. But surely they are not the only women to have proven themselves despite the “tradition of silence” - and they certainly won't be the last. Now if only we could make that clearer to people today.
I really liked your reflections on the tradition of silence and the sad fact that it has played such a large role in discouraging women's voices and stories to be heard. It was interesting to read about the women you named throughout history who, like Sor Juana, defied social and gender specific norms of their day. Like you talked about, all these women were tied to the church in some way, their writings/actions having to do with theology.
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that even today sometimes women still experience these types of discouragement from the church. My mom is a pastor, and I know being a pastor and a woman hasn't always been easy. She's had to deal with members from congregations who aren't used to having a woman as their pastor. If that were me, I'd be torn between frustration and feeling inadequate for not meeting everyone's expectations exactly.
She loves pastoring, and I know I'm biased, but I think she's quite good at it, so it was difficult for me when I realized that there could be people out there who wouldn't even give her a chance. Why? Because she's a woman.
I take issue with these sentences where you say: “The tradition of silence … is used to refer to the assumption that being respectable or good is tied into how much you speak” because history and Tradition show that women can be well-educated and be vociferous writers/speakers.. In fact, many Doctors of the Church are women: St. Catherine of Siena, St. Isidore, St. Teresa Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux, and so on. All were well educated women, but the difference with these women and Sor Juana was that they did their work with humility, avoided writing about passions, and were loyal to Holy Mother Church. These women dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ their whole lives—unlike Sor Juana who did not do so in the traditional sense. Again, all these women Doctors of the Church embraced humility and conquered their pride: this is what Sor Juana was trying to do, but did so with difficulty.
ReplyDeleteI applaud your examples of listing many women who were educated and could write, but I would caution you in making blanket statements of how women were oppressed to silence. Different cultures and societies have ways in which women made their voices heard; grant it, that although in the Church they had limited voices, this does not reflect every where in which the Church held power.
I was not of the opinion that I was making a blanket statement of any sort. On the contrary, the reason I mentioned the women I did is because it proves that women ARE capable of demonstrating intelligence and devotion throughout history. I even remark that the Church was the means for these women to achieve that. What I AM saying is that there is a prevailing stereotype that women in the past - and in the present - ought to confine their work and gifts to smaller, less public arenas. This is, as I mentioned above, an assumption: by its very nature the "tradition of silence" is unfounded and generalized. No one party is responsible for the perpetuation of this assumption - no religion, denomination, government, ethnic group, or any other group can be blamed for this assumption's persistence. In my mind, that only makes the assumption so hard to counter, because it means that it is pervasive and long-lasting: it may be unfounded, but it is nevertheless a powerful force in shaping women's roles throughout history and to this day. What is important is to show the world that it doesn't HAVE to be this way, and that it isn't always this way - and thus that things can be changed.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your thoughts on the tradition of silence. I always find it interesting how much it was expected that women would do simple things and not think. What did people think, that women don't need to use their brain? Or that they shouldn't be using it? This may be drawing conclusions. I just find it interesting how it used to be. Now, how it is changing. The listing of women who are educated and can write is great. I think women should continue to strive to gain knowledge and do things people thought they shouldn't do. Maybe I am drawing different conclusions than I should. However, I wish that Sor Juana would have had the opportunity because the knowledge she had was phenomenal.
ReplyDeleteAs others have mentioned, your discussion of the tradition of silence lends an aspect of understanding to I, the Worst of All and La Frontera. It is apparent in many places that women are thought to be less smart than men, and they should be quiet when others are around. I am glad that you also included others in your post that came before Sor Juana, and were women who accomplished much in their lives. I have read the memoirs of Margery Kempe, and she was a remarkable woman for her time (meaning that she was able to do what many women were not allowed to do). Coming from a modern perspective, the idea that women cannot be as intelligent as men, as it was in some cultures, is absurd. I know there are women who are smarter than me, and I think that it should be celebrated and known everywhere.
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ReplyDeleteTillie, you do an awesome job of using Gloria Anzaldua's "tradition of silence" to analyze Sor Juana's situation. As you demonstrate, this tradition is operating in our own times, embedded in the language we use for women who talk. Your thoughts brought to mind that phrase, "well-behaved women rarely make history." I appreciate your showing that the church did often make a space for intellectual women when the world denied them an education or a podium otherwise. You've enriched the discussion by including references (and links!) to other women who have contributed to theological thought over the centuries. But it's telling that with these women, as with Sor Juana de la Cruz, we still have to go and seek them out. And, as you point out, there were many good thinking women over the centuries who never made the history books.
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