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Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)
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Product Description
As an "honored courtesan", Franco made her living by arranging to have sexual relations, for a high fee, with the elite of Venice and the many travelers—merchants, ambassadors, even kings—who passed through the city. Courtesans needed to be beautiful, sophisticated in their dress and manners, and elegant, cultivated conversationalists. Exempt from many of the social and educational restrictions placed on women of the Venetian patrician class, Franco used her position to recast "virtue" as "intellectual integrity," offering wit and refinement in return for patronage and a place in public life.
Franco became a writer by allying herself with distinguished men at the center of her city's culture, particularly in the informal meetings of a literary salon at the home of Domenico Venier, the oldest member of a noble family and a former Venetian senator. Through Venier's protection and her own determination, Franco published work in which she defended her fellow courtesans, speaking out against their mistreatment by men and criticizing the subordination of women in general. Venier also provided literary counsel when she responded to insulting attacks written by the male Venetian poet Maffio Venier.
Franco's insight into the power conflicts between men and women and her awareness of the threat she posed to her male contemporaries make her life and work pertinent today.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #92746 in Books
- Published on: 1999-02-15
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 326 pages
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, Italian (translation)
Original Language: Italian
Customer Reviews
This girl could write.
Veronica Franco was one of the foremost poets of her time--her time being the 1600s--and her place being Venice. It is amazing that it has taken this long for a volume of her poetry and prose to make it into English. Witty, erotic, playful, sophisticated: such is her poetry, by and large. The woman had a wicked tongue and a busy pen. This volume is a must for anyone interested in the history of literary women.
prego! prego!
Veronica's work is much too hard to find, but this book made the search worth while. As with well reproduced Italian poetry, being able to read it both as it was written and in English is pleasure. We can all relate to some of the things she writes regarding missing home and affairs of the heart, especially the pain we suffer when we are parted from these two things. The translation was superb to the point of finding it hard to believe the words were penned four centuries ago.
Untitled
Though some of the letters included in this book are quite hard to get through without having a coffee break, the poems are absolutely fascinating. They are filled with passion and mystery. The majority of poems to or from lovers of Veronica Franco in this book are unknown, which leaves the beauty of being able to make up your own mind. This title doesn't focus so much on her life so if your after history of Veronica then another title might be more suitable. Otherwise this is well worth the buy.
