Synopses & Reviews
Based on a fascinating body of previously unexamined archival material, this book brings to life the lost voices of ordinary Venetians during the age of Catholic revival. Looking at scripts that were brought to the city's ecclesiastical courts by spouses seeking to annul their marriage vows, this book opens up the emotional world of intimacy and conflict, sexuality, and living arrangements that did not fit normative models of marriage.
Review
"In this exploration of marital litigation, Ferraro breaches walls. She takes us not just into Venetian's homes but also right into their marital beds."--Times Literary Supplement
"Its message is that these women exhibited energy and resourcefulness in seeking their rights and liberty were often successful in predicaments that, despite the different issues of long ago (strict sexual regulation, intense religiosity), often appear surprisingly modern. [Ferraro] executes this mission with admirable lucidity and treats the reader along the way to some thirty narratives of private life that are precious in their detail and vigor."--American Historical Review
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [191]-206) and index.