SorViolante do Céu or do Ceo (or in Spanish Violante del Cielo) was a celebrated female poet from the Iberian peninsula. While the year of her birth is under much debate, Violante do Céu ("of Heaven" in Portuguese), was born in Lisbon, Portugal on May 30, 1601, or 1607 to Manoel da Sylveira Montesino(s) and Helena da França de Ávila (Machado 775).
She entered the convent of Nossa Senhora da Rosa da Ordem do Grande Patriarca Santo Domingos on August 29, 1630, and lived and worked there until her death on January 28, 1693 (Macado 775, Boyce 135).
Sor Violante possessed a natural gift for poetry and began writing as an adolescent. She wrote her first known work La Transformación por Dios at the age of twelve (Machado) and continued to write in her distinct baroque, lyrical poetry after she entered the convent. Yet, her entrance in the convent did not affect the direction of her literary work, as she continued writing romantic and even erotic poetry (Mendes 13). Moreover, after entering the convent, Sor Violante continued to interact with members of the upper class and maintained an awareness her more worldly surroundings as another theme found in her poetry includes the important political occurrences of her time (Dugaw 9). This interaction also manifests itself in the fact that tertulias, or poetry gatherings, and certamens, or poetry contests, often took place, for these poetic gatherings not only involved nuns but also noble members of Lisbon society (Pociña 13).
Literary works
Rimas varias de la Madre Soror Violante del Cielo, religiosa en el monasterio de la Rosa de Lisboa (published in Rouen France, 1646)
Romance a Christo Crucificado (1659)
Soliloquio ao SS. Sacramento (1662)
Soliloquios para antes, e depois da Comunhao (1668)
Meditacoens da Missa, e preparacoens affectuosas de huma alma devote e agradecida a vistas das finezas do Amor Divino contempladas no Acro-santo sacrificio da Missa, e memoria da sagrada Paiza de Christo Senhor nosso, com estimulos para o Amor Divino (1689)
Parnaso Lusitano (collection of poems published posthumously in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin; 1733)
Selected themes
Rimas Varias, the first theme the reader encounters is the evocation of traditional suffering of male poets immortalizing female beloved objects.
Ay decreto cruel del bien que adoro que poseyendo tú, me des la muerte y que escribiendo yo, te dé la vida
Yet, it is important to note that Sor Violante employs a sapphic style in that both grieving speaker and deceased addressee are women (Dugaw 10). In other works found in Rimas varias, Sor Violante do Ceu writes poetic verses about the trials living-in-love and the idea of swooning courtship. The elements she utilizes in these works use a vocabulary of lyrical love that is both idealized and erotic (Dugaw 10).
Sor Violante do Ceu introduces the humor of self-parody and gender play that become more explicit, as found in her poetic romance, "Amada prenda del alma" (Rimas varias) . In this work, she presents an all-female love triangle that implicitly pokes fun at the inevitability of heterosexual possessiveness (Dugaw 10). The woman, the desired object of exchange, moves not between men, but from woman speaker to woman addressee. In these poems, the extremes are not of hierarchical gender positions, as found with heterosexual love, but feeling. The poet casts before us the egocentrism of male possession of women, and at the same time, she demonstrates a compelling, erotic intimacy between women (Dugaw 11).
Another theme common to Sor Violante's works is religious mysticism, which is also common to other writers of her time such as Teresa of Avila, another Spanish mystics. Sor Violante's religious poetry exhibits a distinctly feminine voice and a predilection for Nativity themes (Boyce 135). For example, Al Nacimiento en la Misa (To the Nativity in Mass) exemplifies the correlation between the incarnation motifs, the corporality of divinity, in both the Nativity and the Mass (Boyce 135). Moreover, some of Sor Violante do Ceu's poetry contrasts human and divine love, as when she compares the object of desire “tal objeto” [a remarkable object] to that of one lost at sea. Sanity cannot "capture such beauty or make sense of such feeling; only wit suffices to command the paradox and to yoke the extremes" (Dugaw 11). In this blinding light where good sense goes delirious, the reasoned esteem of friendship and the passion of love are indistinguishable.
Sources
Boyce, Elizabeth. Sor Violante del Cielo: The feminist encyclopedia of Spanish literature. Greenwood Press: Westport, CT. 135. 2002
Dugaw, Diane et al. Sapphic self fashioning in the baroque era: Women's petrarchan parody in English and Spanish. Studies in the Eighteenth Century Culture. 35: 127–60. 2006
Martin, Adrienne. The rhetoric of female friendship in the lyric of Sor Violante del Cielo. Journal of the Society for Renaissance and Baroque Hispanic Poetry. 3(2): 57–71. 1997
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This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations July 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sor Violante do Ceu or do Ceo or in Spanish Violante del Cielo was a celebrated female poet from the Iberian peninsula While the year of her birth is under much debate Violante do Ceu of Heaven in Portuguese was born in Lisbon Portugal on May 30 1601 or 1607 to Manoel da Sylveira Montesino s and Helena da Franca de Avila Machado 775 Contents 1 Biography 2 Literary works 3 Selected themes 4 Sources 5 External linksBiography EditShe entered the convent of Nossa Senhora da Rosa da Ordem do Grande Patriarca Santo Domingos on August 29 1630 and lived and worked there until her death on January 28 1693 Macado 775 Boyce 135 Sor Violante possessed a natural gift for poetry and began writing as an adolescent She wrote her first known work La Transformacion por Dios at the age of twelve Machado and continued to write in her distinct baroque lyrical poetry after she entered the convent Yet her entrance in the convent did not affect the direction of her literary work as she continued writing romantic and even erotic poetry Mendes 13 Moreover after entering the convent Sor Violante continued to interact with members of the upper class and maintained an awareness her more worldly surroundings as another theme found in her poetry includes the important political occurrences of her time Dugaw 9 This interaction also manifests itself in the fact that tertulias or poetry gatherings and certamens or poetry contests often took place for these poetic gatherings not only involved nuns but also noble members of Lisbon society Pocina 13 Literary works EditRimas varias de la Madre Soror Violante del Cielo religiosa en el monasterio de la Rosa de Lisboa published in Rouen France 1646 Romance a Christo Crucificado 1659 Soliloquio ao SS Sacramento 1662 Soliloquios para antes e depois da Comunhao 1668 Meditacoens da Missa e preparacoens affectuosas de huma alma devote e agradecida a vistas das finezas do Amor Divino contempladas no Acro santo sacrificio da Missa e memoria da sagrada Paiza de Christo Senhor nosso com estimulos para o Amor Divino 1689 Parnaso Lusitano collection of poems published posthumously in French Spanish Portuguese and Latin 1733 Selected themes EditRimas Varias the first theme the reader encounters is the evocation of traditional suffering of male poets immortalizing female beloved objects Ay decreto cruel del bien que adoroque poseyendo tu me des la muertey que escribiendo yo te de la vida Yet it is important to note that Sor Violante employs a sapphic style in that both grieving speaker and deceased addressee are women Dugaw 10 In other works found in Rimas varias Sor Violante do Ceu writes poetic verses about the trials living in love and the idea of swooning courtship The elements she utilizes in these works use a vocabulary of lyrical love that is both idealized and erotic Dugaw 10 Sor Violante do Ceu introduces the humor of self parody and gender play that become more explicit as found in her poetic romance Amada prenda del alma Rimas varias In this work she presents an all female love triangle that implicitly pokes fun at the inevitability of heterosexual possessiveness Dugaw 10 The woman the desired object of exchange moves not between men but from woman speaker to woman addressee In these poems the extremes are not of hierarchical gender positions as found with heterosexual love but feeling The poet casts before us the egocentrism of male possession of women and at the same time she demonstrates a compelling erotic intimacy between women Dugaw 11 Another theme common to Sor Violante s works is religious mysticism which is also common to other writers of her time such as Teresa of Avila another Spanish mystics Sor Violante s religious poetry exhibits a distinctly feminine voice and a predilection for Nativity themes Boyce 135 For example Al Nacimiento en la Misa To the Nativity in Mass exemplifies the correlation between the incarnation motifs the corporality of divinity in both the Nativity and the Mass Boyce 135 Moreover some of Sor Violante do Ceu s poetry contrasts human and divine love as when she compares the object of desire tal objeto a remarkable object to that of one lost at sea Sanity cannot capture such beauty or make sense of such feeling only wit suffices to command the paradox and to yoke the extremes Dugaw 11 In this blinding light where good sense goes delirious the reasoned esteem of friendship and the passion of love are indistinguishable Sources EditBoyce Elizabeth Sor Violante del Cielo The feminist encyclopedia of Spanish literature Greenwood Press Westport CT 135 2002 Dugaw Diane et al Sapphic self fashioning in the baroque era Women s petrarchan parody in English and Spanish Studies in the Eighteenth Century Culture 35 127 60 2006 Martin Adrienne The rhetoric of female friendship in the lyric of Sor Violante del Cielo Journal of the Society for Renaissance and Baroque Hispanic Poetry 3 2 57 71 1997 Machado Diogo Barbosa Sor Violante do Ceo Biblioteca Lusitana 3 vols Lisboa n p 1933 Chase Gilbert Origins of the Lyric Theater in Spain The Musical Quarterly 25 3 1939 292 305 The Music of Spain 2nd ed New York Dover Publications 1959 Cortes Narciso Alonso Villancicos y representaciones populares de Castilla Valladolid Institucion Cultural Simancas 1982 Forster Merlin H Theatricality in the Villancicos of Sor Juana de la Cruz Engendering the Early Modern Stage New Orleans UP of the South 1999 Halling Anna Lisa Space Performance and Subversion in Soror Violante do Ceu s Villancicos Comedia Performance 14 1 2017 71 105 La Cruz Juana Ines de Obras completas Vol 2 Toluca Mexico Instituto Mexiquense de Cultura 1994 Laird Paul R Towards a History of the Spanish Villancico Warren Michigan Harmonie Park Press 1997 Pocina Lopez Andres Jose Soror Violante do Ceu 1607 1693 Madrid Ediciones del Orto 1998 Sanchez Romeralo Antonio El Villancico Estudios sobre la lirica popular en los siglos XV y XVI Madrid Editorial Gredos 1969 St Amour Sister Mary Paulina A Study of the Villancico Up to Lope de Vega Washington D C The Catholic University of America Press 1940 Taylor Thomas S The Spanish High Baroque Motet and Villancico Style and Performance Early Music 12 1 1984 64 73 Tenorio Martha Lilia El villancico novohispano Sor Juana y su mundo Ed Sara Poot Herrera Mexico El claustro de Sor Juana UP 1995 Underberg Natalie Sor Juana s Villancicos Context Gender and Genre Western Folklore 60 4 2001 297 316 Violante do Ceo Soror Parnaso Lusitano 2 vols Lisboa n p 1733 External links EditWorks by or about Violante do Ceu at Internet Archive Works by Violante do Ceu at LibriVox public domain audiobooks https morethanmuses byu edu biography soror violante do ceu Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Violante do Ceu amp oldid 1118319731, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
