Rhetoric Review Jan 2006

Sor Juana's Rhetoric of Silence

Julie A. Bokser

Abstract

Abstract This essay illuminates the place of seventeenth-century Mexican nun Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz in the history and theory of rhetoric. I examine rhetorics of silence and interruption in La respuesta, Sor Juana's most well-known prose piece and an autobiographical polemic that preceded her actual silence in the face of disapproving Church authorities. By insisting that silence is something to listen for and demanding that rhetors underscore their use of silence by "naming" it, Sor Juana theorizes about silence as a persuasive entity and provides an early instance of a nondominant, protofeminist, New World rhetoric.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2006-01-01
DOI
10.1207/s15327981rr2501_1
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. Harris (2024)
    Finding the Place of Silent Rhetoric for ESL Students in College Composition
    College Composition and Communication
  2. McGee (2021)
    (Re)reading Sor Juana’s Rhetorics: The Intersectional, Cultural, and Feminist R…
    Rhetoric Review
  3. Bokser (2012)
    Reading and Writing Sor Juana's Arch: Rhetorics of Belonging,CriolloIdentity, a…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  4. Bokser (2010)
    Sor Juana'sDivine Narcissus: A New World Rhetoric of Listening
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  5. Romano (2010)
    “Grand Convergence” in the Mexican Colonial Mundane: The Matter of Introductories
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Show all 6 →
  1. Tasker et al. (2008)
    Feminist Research Methodologies in Historic Rhetoric and Composition: An Overvi…
    Rhetoric Review

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CrossRef global citation count: 20 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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