Renaissance Woman

by Gaia Servadio

The Renaissance created a new vision of womanhood and indeed a "New Woman", proposes Gaia Servadio in this fresh take on Renaissance history. Servadio dates the birth of this development not to the traditionally quoted year of 1492 but to the invention of the printing press in 1456, which made books--and hence education--available to women. Central to her story are the lives of women such as Vittoria Colonna, whose extraordinary mutual love with Michelangelo is told here; Tullia d'Aragona, poet and the best known courtesan of her age, and French poet Louise Labeacute;, who fought battles in male clothes. She follows these new women through the rise--and fall--of the Renaissance in Italy and France, moving northwards to the Low Countries and, in the person of Elizabeth I, to England. They are placed center stage to the Renaissance's power plays, paintings and architecture, courtesans and popes, music and manners, fashion, food, cosmetics, changing societies and the language of poetry and symbols.

Genres: History, Renaissance, Nonfiction

Published January 1, 2007

About the author

Gaia Cecilia M. Servadio is an Italian writer. She received a bachelor's degree from London's Camberwell School of Art. Her first novel Tanto gentile e tanto onesta, aka Melinda, was published in 1967 by Feltrinelli in Italy and Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK, and was a "a runaway success".

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gaia Servadio's 'Renaissance Woman' was a wonderful combination of history and feminism. By focusing on the renaissance, Servadio argues that a rise in education, arts and freely accessible literature allowed women to take positions of power, political or otherwise, and gain a great deal more respect and recognition than what was previously allowed to them. Italy, France, England and the Northern Countries show how such a renaissance can affect women differently, as well as how it intersects with faith and religious reformation. As much as I found this book interesting and enlightening, I disliked how the structure wasn't very consistent; some women had multiple chapters dedicated to them, while whole countries had only one. Also, I disliked the assertion that Elizabeth I was some sort of seductress who "almost certainly slept with all her men". It seemed quite stereotypical and there was no evidence given to support this "almost certainty". However, despite that, I think this book achieved what it set out to do; to depict a revolutionary time for the status and achievements of European women.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting and believable reaccounting of the rise of female authorship in the Renaissance period. Selecting a few influential women from Italy and France, Servadio draws lines between their writings and the changes in art, architecture and culture right across Renaissance Europe. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the role of literature and literacy in the life of the courtesan. Far from spending their lives in the boudoir, these women engaged in and promoted Salon life, coterie writing and the re-articulation of classical ideas and literature.

[Bibi shakoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has been so much written on the Renaissance, but this book is especially enlightening because it focuses on the impact of the movement on women. The author does a wonderful job of comparing the Renaissance with its spread of knowledge and ideas to the religious intolerance of the Counter Reformation, a movement which brought a halt to intellectual development and returned women to an inferior position. Some of the most remarkable women such as Elizabeth the 1st and Vitoria Colona are discussed and reveered for the wit, intelligence and passion.