ABSTRACT
Of the monumental critical bibliography dedicated to understanding and celebrating the works of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, analyses of her drama, both secular and sacred, are relatively scarce, and those devoted to study of her theological dramas – her three autos sacramentales and their introductory one-act loas – are, comparatively speaking, a virtual trace element. Theology is the science of religion, but so is philosophy, a more all-inclusive term. In many cases, each of the autos' preliminary playlets receives individual attention, as well. The pair of historical autos do put strong female figures on stage, in Narcissus their ubiquitous importance feminizes the play. Scholars have mentioned the theology hidden in her villancicos and autos. Not only has scholarship on Sor Juana's autos expanded to occupy a greater part of the critical field. It has also grown more sophisticated, as earlier traditional themes have acquired postmodern, poststructuralist, feminist, postcolonial, and other contemporary theoretical foci, including semiotic and performance analysis.
