Defence from the margin. Women authors and paratext between the two shores of the Adriatic. Three case studies from the Sixteenth Century (original) (raw)
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2009
The talent of improvising, which may be called indigenous to [Italy], gave celebrity to two or three female poets.. .. But women of such celebrity are rare in Italy and are looked upon not so much with respect as with wonder, as monsters of talent.-Ugo Foscolo, "The Women of Italy" Although one can trace the history of Italian improvising, in all literary genres and in all milieus, back to the thirteenth century, the golden age of improvising, as several authors including Giulio Natali have noted, was the eighteenth century. Foreign travelers remarked on Italians' ability and excellence at improvising throughout the century, and it became a point of national pride. From Charles de Brosses and Joseph de Lalande, to Madame de Stael and Karl Fernow, foreign visitors and intellectuals marveled at the I would like to thank the editors of this volume for their patience and their help. A special thanks to Catherine Sama for her thorough reading of the first draft of my paper. I also owe a debt of gratitude to all participants in the 2002 Clark workshop that inspired much of my research, and especially to Paula Findlen, Wendy Roworth, and Rebecca Messbarger. I am deeply thankful for the assistance of all the librarians of the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome, who let me consult their archives even on days when the library was closed to the public. A special thanks to Drs. Fano, Muratore, Scialanga, and Sciarra. Incredibly gracious and helpful were Mr. Savi and Dr. Dolfi of the Biblioteca Forteguerriana in Pistoia, as well as Dr. Pensauti of the Biblioteca Nazionale in Florence. I would be amiss if I did not mention my "assistant" in Rome, Mrs. Caterina Bruzzone (my dear mother), and my very patient husband, Christopher Smith. Last but not least, this paper was also made possible by a Summer Grant from Saint Joseph's University: to all my colleagues I owe my deepest thanks for their continuing support.
"Feminism and Italian Sacred Writings: A Growing Space for Female Authorship, 1500-1600"
Negotiating Feminism and Faith in the Lives and Works of Late Medieval and Early Modern Women, edited by Holly Faith Nelson and Adrea Johnson, 2024
This series provides a forum for studies that investigate the themes of women and gender in the late medieval and early modern world. The editors invite proposals for book-length studies of an interdisciplinary nature, including but not exclusively, from the fields of history, literature, art and architectural history, and visual and material culture. Consideration will be given to both monographs and collections of essays. Chronologically, we welcome studies that look at the period between 1400 and 1700, with a focus on Britain, Europe and Global transnational histories. We invite proposals including, but not limited to, the following broad themes: methodologies, theories and meanings of gender; gender, power and political culture; monarchs, courts and power; construction of femininity and masculinities; gift-giving, diplomacy and the politics of exchange; gender and the politics of early modern archives and architectural spaces (court, salons, household); consumption and material culture; objects and gendered power; women's writing; gendered patronage and power; gendered activities, behaviours, rituals and fashions.
2009
The talent of improvising, which may be called indigenous to [Italy], gave celebrity to two or three female poets.. .. But women of such celebrity are rare in Italy and are looked upon not so much with respect as with wonder, as monsters of talent.-Ugo Foscolo, "The Women of Italy" Although one can trace the history of Italian improvising, in all literary genres and in all milieus, back to the thirteenth century, the golden age of improvising, as several authors including Giulio Natali have noted, was the eighteenth century. Foreign travelers remarked on Italians' ability and excellence at improvising throughout the century, and it became a point of national pride. From Charles de Brosses and Joseph de Lalande, to Madame de Stael and Karl Fernow, foreign visitors and intellectuals marveled at the I would like to thank the editors of this volume for their patience and their help. A special thanks to Catherine Sama for her thorough reading of the first draft of my paper. I also owe a debt of gratitude to all participants in the 2002 Clark workshop that inspired much of my research, and especially to Paula Findlen, Wendy Roworth, and Rebecca Messbarger. I am deeply thankful for the assistance of all the librarians of the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome, who let me consult their archives even on days when the library was closed to the public. A special thanks to Drs. Fano, Muratore, Scialanga, and Sciarra. Incredibly gracious and helpful were Mr. Savi and Dr. Dolfi of the Biblioteca Forteguerriana in Pistoia, as well as Dr. Pensauti of the Biblioteca Nazionale in Florence. I would be amiss if I did not mention my "assistant" in Rome, Mrs. Caterina Bruzzone (my dear mother), and my very patient husband, Christopher Smith. Last but not least, this paper was also made possible by a Summer Grant from Saint Joseph's University: to all my colleagues I owe my deepest thanks for their continuing support.
Conduct Literature for and about Women in Italy, 1470-1900: Prescribing and Describing Life
Conduct literature for and about women represents a very broad but still little-studied body of works that is essential for the understanding of the cultural construction of femininity. Conduct texts, being both prescriptive and descriptive sources, offer a fascinating account of and insight into the changing role of women across the centuries according to the needs of society. On the one hand, they record ideological constructions, models, and aspirations, and on the other they reflect contemporary realities, norms, and customs. The essays in this volume (in English and in Italian) aim to trace some of the main features of conduct literature in the Italian tradition, from the last decades of the fifteenth century to the post-unification period. Editors: Helena Sanson and Francesco Lucioli. Contributors: Patrizia Bertini Malgarini, Federica Boldrini, Inge Botteri, Marzia Caria, Adriana Chemello, Beatrice Collina, Carmela Covato, Silvia Evangelisti, Ann Hallamore Caesar, Lucy Hosker,...