WesMaps - Wesleyan University Catalog 2012-2013       Summer Session       Winter Session       Home       Archive       Search
CS92PROD
The Courtier and the Courtesan in Renaissance Italy
ITAL 239
Spring 2013 not offered

Notions of gender and class in Renaissance Italy center this course, which explores the worlds of two social figures of great significance during this period: the courtier and the courtesan. We will study the self-fashioning of the male courtier, his aims, duties, desires, and concerns. Similarly, we will explore the world of the Renaissance Italian courtesan, who rose to wealth and social significance by way of various exchanges, literary, erotic, and otherwise. To understand the worlds of these two figures and those who employed them, we will read several treatises aimed at teaching the courtier and courtesan how to attain (and retain) power. In addition, we will study the representation of these two figures in another popular genre in the Italian Renaissance, the treatise taking the form of a dramatic dialogue. Further, we will read poetic texts authored by the figures themselves. Finally, representations in theatrical form round out the types of texts under consideration. All of these texts and the world of these figures will be brought to life with the aid of paintings, prints, and examples of early modern erotica.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RLAN
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: (ITAL221 AND ITAL222)
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (ITST)(RMST)

Last Updated on MAR-29-2024
Contact wesmaps@wesleyan.edu to submit comments or suggestions. Please include a url, course title, faculty name or other page reference in your email ? Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459