Between c.1350 and c.1650, Italian urban societies saw much debate on women's nature, roles, education, and behavior. Using a broad range of material, most newly translated, this book illuminates the ideals and realities informing the lives of women within the context of civic and courtly culture in Renaissance Italy. The text is divided into three sections: contemporary views on the nature of women, and ethical and aesthetic ideals seen as suitable to them; life cycles from birth to death, punctuated by the rites of passage of betrothal, marriage and widowhood; women's roles in the convent, the court, the workplace, and in cultural life.

Mary Rogers has published widely in the arts and feminist theory on both sides of the Atlantic. Paola Tinagli lives and works in Italy.

Introduction * Part 1: Ideals * Woman's nature and characteristics * The discourse of beauty and love * The Virgin Mary * Female Saints * Famous and exemplary women * Part 2: Lifecycles * Girls * Betrothals and Weddings * Marriage and married life * Conception, childbirth and the upbringing of children *Widows * Part 3: Roles * Nuns and women in religion * The court lady * Women and work for gain * Prostitutes and courtesans * Writers, artists, musicians and performers * Illustrations * Bibliography * Index