
Arms and the Woman
Classical Tradition and Women Writers in the Venetian Renaissance
Francesca D'Alessandro Behr(Author)
Ohio State University Press
Published on 20. May 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
292 pages
978-0-8142-5477-6 (ISBN)
Description
Arms and the Woman: Classical Tradition and Women Writers in the Venetian Renaissance by Francesca D'Alessandro Behr focuses on the classical reception in the works of female authors active in Venice during the Early Modern Age. Even in this relatively liberal city, women had restricted access to education and were subject to deep-seated cultural prejudices, but those who read and wrote were able, in part, to overcome those limitations.
In this study, Behr explores the work of Moderata Fonte and Lucrezia Marinella and demonstrates how they used knowledge of texts by Virgil, Ovid, and Aristotle to systematically reanalyze the biased patterns apparent both in the romance epic genre and contemporary society. Whereas these classical texts were normally used to bolster the belief in female inferiority and the status quo, Fonte and Marinella used them to envision societies structured according to new, egalitarian ethics. Reflecting on the humanist representation of virtue, Fonte and Marinella insisted on the importance of peace, mercy, and education for women. These authors took up the theme of the equality of genders and participated in the Renaissance querelle des femmes, promoting women's capabilities and nature.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Columbus, OH
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
484 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8142-5477-6 (9780814254776)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Francesca D'Alessandro Behr is Associate Professor of Classics and Italian Studies at the University of Houston and author of Feeling History: Lucan, Stoicism, and the Poetics of Passion (OSU Press, 2007).