Sor Juana Unveils Calderón’s Feminism as Leonor (Los empeños de una casa) Refashions Laura (El secreto a voces)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the resonances between the heroines Laura of Calderón’s comedia El secreto a voces (1642) and Leonor of Sor Juana’s Los empeños de una casa (1683). After first outlining the archetype of the dama tramoyera (the title bestowed on heroines of Golden Age comedias de capa y espada) and a key figure in Calderón’s approach to comedy, I go on to trace the tactics and temperament of Laura, a late Calderonian version of the archetype, who is also a precursor of Sor Juana’s heroine, Leonor, owing to her cerebral mask of modesty. The ability of Laura and Leonor to appear self-effacing when confronting intrusive authorities shields an underlying individualist stance. While Calderón’s approach is grounded on his commitment to a woman’s right to free will and equal humanity, Sor Juana extends this to education and free thought. Sor Juana’s response to the Spanish dramatist confirms Calderón’s ability to bring to light the increasingly outmoded position of women in his society while indicating her own political agenda, implicit in her enhanced version of a comic heroine crafted in the New World.