A lecture by Alexandra Lawrence
Though women’s social position in thirteenth-century Florence was severely restricted—they were rarely allowed to venture outside the home—a few names nonetheless come to the fore. This lecture examines three figures who personified three ‘types’ of womanhood in Dante’s Florence: the virtuous maiden, the disobedient wife, and the pious widow. By delving into the stories and legends created around ‘good’ Gualdrada Berti, subversive Gualdrada Donati, and devout Umiliana de’ Cerchiwe can get an idea of the expectations around the roles and behaviors of women in medieval Florence that would have influenced Dante both in his life and in his poetic output.
If you are in Florence and would like to attend the lecture in person at the British Institute Library, please register here or send an email to bif@britishinstitute.it
The registration fee is 15 Euro per person.
To join this lecture online, simply click on this link to register and receive the Zoom meeting invitation: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oCevZyFRTBq3oLral5kJSQ. The virtual doors will open at 18:00 Italian time on Wednesday 17th September.
The recording of the virtual lecture will be available for registered participants only. Clicking on the link above, you authorise the British Institute of Florence to use your image, name and comments.
There is no charge to attend the event on Zoom, but we ask you to consider making a donation to support the Institute and its beautiful library if you wish to attend an event.
This lecture is sponsored by Val & Gerry Ward