Instable Puente: La construccion del letrado criollo en la obra de Juan de Espinosa Medrano
is the first complete study of the life and works of this 17th century Peruvian priest who is considered today the most significant
letrado criollo
(creole man of letters). In particular, the book focuses on how Juan de Espinosa Medrano composes an ensemble of texts (a treatise on poetry, theater, and several sermons) that demonstrates his ability to master the European literary code, while simultaneously undermining the supposed natural preeminence of Spanish intellectuals over the colonized. The book integrates Peninsular Spanish and Latin American cultures through the common field of the Baroque, without losing track of the explicit differences of each.
Instable Puente
undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the complete works of Espinosa Medrano in the context of the cultures, religious beliefs, economic structures, and political institutions of its day.