She-Wolf: The Story of a Roman Icon

by Cristina Mazzoni

Since antiquity, the she-wolf has served as the potent symbol of Rome. For more than two thousand years, the legendary animal that rescued Romulus and Remus has been the subject of historical and political accounts, literary treatments in poetry and prose, and visual representations in every medium. In The Story of a Roman Icon, Cristina Mazzoni examines the evolution of the she-wolf as a symbol in western history, art, and literature, from antiquity to contemporary times. Used, for example, as an icon of Roman imperial power, papal authority, and the distance between the present and the past, the she-wolf has also served as an allegory for greed, good politics, excessive female sexuality, and, most recently, modern, multi-cultural Rome. Mazzoni engagingly analyzes the various role guises of the she-wolf over time in the first comprehensive study in any language on this subject.

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2010

Reviews

[Genevieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Lupus est homo homini.” Plautus Asinaria 495

This famous quotation, through its various translations, perfectly encapsulates the themes explored in Cristina Mazzoni’s new book. Man is a wolf to other men – as Plautus undoubtedly meant it – but a wolf can also be interpreted as a human being in particular circumstances. In both Italian and Latin the word lupa can describe a she-wolf or a prostitute, either a ferocious animal or a female human of voracious sexual appetites. This paradox has informed interpretations of the legend of Romulus and Remus since antiquity, where the she-wolf figures as animal, mother, and whore simultaneously, and the complexity and ambiguity of this formative being have given her long life as a symbol representing a myriad of concepts, individuals, and entities. Mazzoni sets herself the ambitious task of exploring the she-wolf in all her forms and interpretations, from the famous Lupa Capitolina to her appearance in modern art, archaeology, poetry, and literature.

(First paragraph of my review for Bryn Mawr Classical Review - see more at http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/)

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book presented a lot of interesting comparisons and interpretations of art and literature, Mazzoni's format drove me slowly insane. The main problem was that she divided her book into linear components: ancient, medieval/renaissance, contemporary for each topic. However, she consistently switched between time periods within the sections. In almost every ancient and medieval area, she interjected things that should have been placed within the contemporary time-frame. These were almost always at the very beginning of the sections, which made even less sense.