Giovanni Boccaccio wondered in the middle of the 14th century "that women were so little regarded" and in response wrote a collection of witty portraits of strong-willed, influential, sometimes dangerous women.
Until his death in 1375, Boccaccio repeatedly revised his work "De mulieribus claris", a collection of over 100 portraits of famous women. Charmingly and with witty wit, he presents strong women such as Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, the prophetess Carmenta, the painter Thamaris, the orator Hortensia and Proba, the poetess. They are not always virtuous, certainly not saintly, but what they all have in common is that they prevailed in the world of men through their bravery, powers of the mind and perseverance - and so these impressive stories are still of great relevance today. For this edition, the most beautiful texts have been selected and newly translated and illustrated with the woodcuts of the first German edition (1473).
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| "While farmers generally allow one rooster for ten hens, ten men are scarcely sufficient to service one woman." |
Giovanni Boccaccio (16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375)
Bookie lust fed. Thank you. Drat you.
ReplyDeleteAs always with pleasure at your service ma'am. ;-)
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