History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 337 - More Rare Than the Phoenix - Italian Women Humanists
Dec 1, 2019
Delve into the world of Italian women humanists like Cassandra Fedele, Isotta Nogarola, and Laura Cereta, who sought fame through their eloquence. Discover their fight for recognition in a male-dominated sphere while balancing societal expectations of marriage and family. Explore the philosophical shift from pleasure to eternity as these women engaged critically with great thinkers, challenging notions of female inferiority. Their remarkable contributions reveal a rich tapestry of intellectual ambition amidst the struggles of Renaissance society.
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Letters as Eloquence Showcase
- Renaissance humanist letters often use elaborate style to say very little of substance.
- Writing was valued as a demonstration of eloquence and social status rather than content.
Women Matching Men's Eloquence
- Italian women humanists wrote letters indistinguishable in style from their male counterparts.
- They participated on equal rhetorical terms, a rarity in previous scholastic traditions.
Cassandra Fedele's Legendary Praise
- Cassandra Fedele was widely praised, with comparisons to Aspasia and Sappho.
- Admirers called her rarer than the phoenix, combining female virtue with male intellectual gifts.