Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz e Kate Chopin: literature of resistance in moralist and repressive societies

Abstract

This article presents a brief biography of two writers who addressed in the lines of their works important questions about the role of women in societies in which female voices were not usually heard. The Mexican Baroque poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651 - 1695) and the American writer Kate Chopin (1851-1904) were two pioneers of the women's awareness literature. We aim to show how the authors transgress several social and historical rules in terms of gender issues in the context of conservative societies - in which they lived. As examples of their writings, we will bring the novel The Awakening (1899), in which Chopin outlines the psychological and sexual development of a young American woman in the creole community of New Orleans. And Hombres Necios, a poem by Juana Inés which criticizes the satires that mocked women and were popular at that time. This paper addresses the literary, social, historical and cultural context of the authors, providing information about their relations with feminism and, finally, brings a brief analysis of their works from the feminist perspective. As a conclusion, we understand that Juana Inés de la Cruz and Kate Chopin represent the vanguard in the battle for the dismissal of gender discrimination.

Keywords

• juana inés de la cruz. kate chopin. hombres necios. o despertar. feminismo.