A History of Women's Writing in Italy

by Edited by Letizia Panizza , Sharon Wood

• ISBN13: 9780521570886
• ISBN10: 0521570883
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-29
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

A History of Women’s Writing in Italy offers a comprehensive historical account of writing by women in Italy. Covering writing from the Middle Ages to the present day, it moves away from narrow definitions of literature, and brings to the reader’s attention other forms of expression such as letter writing, religious and devotional writing, scholarly and philosophical essays, travel writing, and journalism. Contributors point to the considerable practical, social and ideological difficulties faced by women in writing and presenting their work to a wider reading public, but also highlight the resourcefulness and determination of women through the centuries in making their voices heard. Extensive guides to further reading and a detailed guide to more than two hundred writers form an integral part of the volume. The international team of contributors have produced a striking work of new scholarship and research, which will be invaluable for students and scholars alike.

Table of Contents

Notes on contributors	vii
Acknowledgements	xi
List of abbreviations	xiii
Note on the text	xv
Introduction	1	(12)
Letizia Panizza
Sharon Wood
Part I The Renaissance, Counter-Reformation and seventeenth century
Letter writting, 1350--1650	13	(12)
Maria Luisa Doglio
Jennifer Lorch
The fifteenth century	25	(12)
Humanism	25	(6)
Letizia Panizza
Vernacular poetry and mystery plays	31	(6)
Judith Bryce
Lyric poetry, 1500--1650	37	(15)
Giovanna Rabitti
Abigail Brundin
Fiction, 1560--1650	52	(13)
Virginia Cox
Polemical prose writing, 1500--1650	65	(14)
Letizia Panizza
Religious and devotional writing, 1400--1600	79	(16)
Gabriella Zarri
Susan Haskins
Part II The Enlightenment and Restoration
Eighteenth-century literature	95	(12)
Luisa Ricaldone
Peter Brand
Travel writing, 1750--1860	107	(13)
Ricciarda Ricorda
Sharon Wood
Journalism, 1750--1850	120	(15)
Verina R. Jones
Literary critics and scholars, 1700--1850	135	(16)
Adriana Chemello
Peter Brand
Part III The Risorgimento and modern Italy, 1850--2000
Journalists and essayists, 1850--1915	151	(13)
Silvana Patriarca
The novel, 1870--1920	164	(13)
Lucienne Kroha
The popular novel, 1850--1920	177	(13)
Anna Laura Lepschy
Futurism and Fascism, 1914--1945	190	(15)
Lucia Re
The novel, 1945--1965	205	(13)
Ann Hallamore Caesar
The novel, 1965--2000	218	(20)
Adalgisa Giorgio
Poetry, 1870--2000	238	(16)
Catherine O'Brien
Theatre and cinema, 1945--2000	254	(13)
Aine O'Healy
Aesthetics and critical theory	267	(15)
Sharon Wood
Bibliographical guide to women writers and their work	282	(56)
Penny Morris
Bibliography	338	(13)
Reference works and anthologies	338	(1)
Primary texts	339	(1)
Studies	340	(11)
Index	351