Ascetic practice and "devil's art": The conception of writing in the "epistolario" of Sor Josefa de los Dolores Peña y Lillo

Abstract

This article studies the concept of writing as ascetic practice for the subjugation of the individual self and as the free expression of individuality or 'demonic art' in the "Epistolario " —hitherto unpublished— ofSister Josefa de los Dolores Pena y Lillo, and 18th century Chilean Dominican nun. It describes the tensions between both concepts of writing, their connection to the Spanish mystical tradition and the transformations they bring about in the modalities of confessional discourse produced by nuns. These transformation make of the "Epistolario" a text that objectifies the emergence of a feminine consciousness and identity. These manifest themselves not only in the virtuousness and religious vocation of nuns, but also in the complexity of their individual selves and in their abilities in the fields of knowledge, wisdom and literary expression.