The Worth of Women: Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men

The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: The Chicago Series

by Moderata Fonte, Virginia Cox (Translator)

Gender equality and the responsibility of husbands and issues that loom large today had currency in Renaissance Venice as well, as evidenced by the publication in 1600 of The Worth of Women by Moderata Fonte.

Moderata Fonte was the pseudonym of Modesta Pozzo (1555–92), a Venetian woman who was something of an anomaly. Neither cloistered in a convent nor as liberated from prevailing codes of decorum as a courtesan might be, Pozzo was a respectable, married mother who produced literature in genres that were commonly considered "masculine"—the chivalric romance and the literary dialogue. This work takes the form of the latter, with Fonte creating a conversation among seven Venetian noblewomen. The dialogue explores nearly every aspect of women's experience in both theoretical and practical terms. These women, who differ in age and experience, take as their broad theme men's curious hostility toward women and possible cures for it.

Through this witty and ambitious work, Fonte seeks to elevate women's status to that of men, arguing that women have the same innate abilities as men and, when similarly educated, prove their equals. Through this dialogue, Fonte provides a picture of the private and public lives of Renaissance women, ruminating on their roles in the home, in society, and in the arts.

A fine example of Renaissance vernacular literature, this book is also a testament to the enduring issues that women face, including the attempt to reconcile femininity with ambition.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Classics, History, Philosophy, Renaissance, Womens

290 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1600

About the author

Moderata Fonte, pseudonym of Modesta Pozzo (1555-1592) was an Italian writer from Venice. Besides the posthumously-published dialogue, Il merito delle donne (The Worth of Women, 1600) for which she is best known, she wrote a romance and religious poetry.

Reviews

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this book. People have been saying again and again and again that feminism was born (no pun intended) in 60s and 70s of the last century, dismissing all writing of the nature that came before it. It's widely believed that women did not think of themselves as a separate class in society until then.
Well, have a look at this. And wonder what other such works are missing for lack or translation/publication.

[Sandrine Tangerine · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed learning about the opinions of women on men in the late 16th century, at a time when the best thing that could happen to a woman was to be a widow. i admire Modesta Pozzo so much for her expressing these views at this time, and I admire so much all the other women around her at her time that also expressed these revolutionary feminist views, something the author makes clear in this book.
fuck men!!

10/10 would recommend

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 bc in the middle I got really bored and then didn’t pick it up again for three months. But besides that I enjoyed this book and that it was structured as one long conversation between a group of women. It highlighted to me how women have had to prove themselves to men since the beginning, and we are still always seen as less than. I enjoyed how the book also validated that women can have many dreams, and wanting to be married and have children, or wanting to be single, are equally valid. I really enjoyed this quote at the end.

“For many men see the world in a blinkered way, and are so firmly convinced by the unwarrantable fallacy that they are created women’s superiors, and so incapable of seeing past this lie, that they believe themselves fully justified in treating women as tyrannically and brutally as they like (259).”

[Mads Stølan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feminisme er et moderne begrep, ikke en moderne idé.
Vold i familien og i hjemmet, krenking av rettigheter, undertrykking og diskriminering har vært et tema for skriving, debatt og politikk i 600+ år, men det er ikke tatt opp før i moderne tid.
History is written by the winners, men history er også written by men.

Btw: filosofiske dialoger er en banger sjanger

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the stars adorn the heavens,
So too women adorn the world,
With all that is lovely and pleasant in it.
And just as no mortal can live
Without a soul and a heart,
So men cannot get by without women,
For woman is man's heart, soul, and life. (p. 96)

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

my girl absolutely slayed

[Nut Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was entertaining insofar as it shows how the more things change the more they stay the same. Written in the style of a dialogue, Fonte's main purpose to warn women of the dangers men pose while attempting to persuade "those men who fail to behave as they should toward women to mend their ways and become better." Her characters spend an extended period bemoaning the various ways fathers, brothers, husbands and lovers deceive and abuse the women in their lives to the point of being a literary encapsulation of the Crazy ex-girlfriend song, "Lets Generalize About Men!" There are several tangents on unrelated subjects in the second half, but these served to prove that women were capable and interested in talking about things that most men of the time would not have guessed. Although there is also an attempt to "prove" women's superiority, much of the logic is based on outdated ideas about astrology and the male vs. female body. On the whole, it's an easy read but lacks the intellectual rigor of other classic feminist texts such as "A Vindication of the Rights of Women."

[Andrew Schirmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without help from their wives, men are just like unlit lamps...

Exceptionally witty dialogues in the manner of Boccaccio with a splendid introduction and short bio of Fonte, who deserves to be better known. University of Chicago Press did well to reissue this edition for non-specialists, very timely. Read it aloud with your spouse/partner...highly recommended.

[Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Girls rule, boys drool. An engaging entrant into the querelle des femmes, Fonte doesn't merely defend women but lets men have it. The set up is a kind of two-day debate, where sets of women takes sides. Day one involves a defense of men and a robust offense against them. Day two is rather more catch as catch can. Of the two portions, the first is altogether more engaging and interesting. Day two primarily involves two of the more knowing young women holding forth on spices, birds, fish, lawyers, musicians, doctors and every other thing, with regular acerbic asides addressed to male mistreatment of women, along with loads of poetry, much of it by Fonte herself. The text is well edited with judicious footnotes at the bottom of the page and trailing translations of the many verse passages. The well-maintained debate format of the first day allows for more nuance in argument; day two feels almost as if Fonte is emptying out her drawer of miscellaneous rough drafts unsuitable for inclusion in other works.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A philosophical dissertation in the form of a discussion among a group of women of the virtues of women, and the vices of men and how to correct them. A fifteenth century predecessor to #MeToo.

The first part of the book is fun, witty and topical. However, the second part of the book meanders away from the subject matter, and is tedious at times.

The book rates 3.5 stars.

[Lauren Patton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to read such an early feminist work. I thought the premise was delightful and the "First Day" discussion amongst the women was especially pertinent and didn't sound dissimilar to conversations I've had with women in the 21st century. The "Second Day" portion seemed less relevant and more rambling, but I did enjoy the portion on friendship.

[Lynn Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the late 1500s by a Venetian noblewoman, this is an unapologetic defense of women and a condemnation of the tyranny of men. It uses the same format as the Decameron: a group of aristocrats gathered in a country garden who spend several days debating a topic.

[Virginia Cox]

A note from the translator:

https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...

[æsj · Rating 5 out of 5]

man fühlt sich als würde man bei barbies girls night den gesprächen lauschen, thema sind die männer, ihre vor und nachteile und warum frauen auf jeden fall besser sind als diese. man fühlt sich wohl in der gruppe der frauen und sicher in leonoras garten. interessant zu lesen, wie reflektiert die frauen damals schon ihre unterdrückung benennen konnten und wie sie sich die welt unter frauenherrschaft (absurdes wort müsste es nicht einfach frauenschaft sein?!) vorgestellt hätten. intersektional ist moderata fontes feminismus natürlich nicht, man muss im kopf behalten, dass sie eine reiche, gebildete frau der oberschicht war, noch dazu in der frühen neuzeit. und für die zeit ist das buch revolutionär. es finden sich sogar anfänge der intersektionalität als die frauen überlegen welchen einfluss armut und damit einhergehende fehlende bildung auf frauen haben kann.
ich würde das buch jedem empfehlen, auch wenn es nur der unterhaltung dienen sollte.
(p.s. seid mal ehrlich ist corinna vielleicht ein bisschen lesbisch? die schreibt die schönsten liebesgedichte für frauen (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡)

[M. Agothos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barring a few changes, this book could have been written today.

Yet beyond its forward-thinking topics and issues, Fonte is also an enormously entertaining writer, and each of the characters leap off the page as vivid individuals. Though there was a 2017 Italian stage play based on this novel, I'm surprised there's been no major Broadway adaptation. In any case, well worth reading.

[Dora :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the time, this book is revolutionary. I read it for a women writers class at usc and it was great dissecting the ambiguity of the author’s actual opinion as in part one she seem men-condemning and in part two she seems men-forgiving. It was also great to see the symbolism behind the garden and the house itself. Im not sure I’d read it again but it’s a really good text!

[JP Beaty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This text was interesting in the beginning but the second part took a very strange turn to a fascinating look at scientific discourse in the 16th century. Gives you a very interesting look at a total view of a woman's intellectual life in the 16th century.

[Anisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this so much. It was refreshing to read something like this while knowing it was written at a time when society did not always condone women writing professionally. I thought this was rather subversive text for its time

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining entry in the Medieval/Early Modern Querelles Des Femmes. It's crazy how much of the sentiment among men persists today just in modern slang lol. The second book is interesting just in seeing how people thought the world worked back in Renaissance Italy.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

So important and exciting to see a woman expressing these views in the early-modern period, but a bit repetitive and tangent-y :)

[sabr]

A man gave me this book i love you forever amo

[Nehir Arpat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so fucking good. Very interesting arguments and conversation.

[Michaela Ambrosi]

Přel.: Alice Flemrová, Praha 2007

[Soda Sprinklers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dialogues > Manifestos

[Viktoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most delightful and illuminating pieces of feminist herstory that is both humorously modern and feels historically radical. Love a good dialogue about the power of women talking!

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stars for the content of the book, five stars for the translation. The introductions (yes there's more than one) do a good job of discussing the historical context for the book without degenerating too much into scholar-ese. The copious footnotes are mostly of the useful sort. I think just about every reference to obscure Greek and Roman figures is explained in a concise, interesting way. The content is easily accessible to someone with just a passing interest in the subject.

The second day of the dialogue does drag on a bit with the characters spouting poetry and lists of just about everything they can think of--you can skip a page or two here and there without missing much. If you read the introductions, you'll be prepared for this.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I'm glad I decided to pick this up and read it so impulsively.

[Kagama-the Literaturevixen]

I doubt if I will ever read this...but the title I just love it. Makes it sound like a chicklit book.

Wait... a chicklit set in the 16th century? Where is that book?

[María RP · Rating 2 out of 5]

La edición es decepcionante. No contiene el texto al completo.

[Abe Frank]

More of a curiosity (and a fascinating one at that) than a must-read, but something of a revelation to me in terms of its context.