Review of The Epistolary Renaissance Workshop (20 Sept 2024)

In this article, we provide a summary of our recent workshop "The Epistolary Renaissance: Women Latinists and the Republic of Letters (1300-1700)" that was organised by Florence Forte and hosted by The Medici Archive Project at Palazzo Alberti in Florence on Friday 20 September 2024.

This workshop was a unique, one-day event bringing scholars together to discuss and produce new scholarship on Latin letter-writing by women. The event was also connected to one of Forte Academy’s summer courses in Florence, Women Latinists, which introduces taught and research students (Undergraduate, MA, PhD, Independent) to the history of women’s writing in Latin from Antiquity up to the Renaissance with a focus on the classical tradition and strengthening language and research skills. 

The Purpose of the Workshop

The purpose of the workshop was to explore the Latin literary contributions of women in late medieval and early modern Europe, with a focus on the genre of letter-writing. The quantity of evidence for letters written by women in both Latin and the vernacular between 1300 and 1700 constitutes what could be called an “Epistolary Renaissance”. Building upon scholarship that has investigated many of these women in isolation, or in relation to each other, this workshop aimed to connect them also to their male peers and the larger networks within which they operated and to shed new light on the language, rhetoric, transmission and purpose of their letter-writing in Latin.

Our Library Trip

We started the day with a private visit to the remarkable Riccardiana library in Palazzo Medici Riccardi that houses both manuscript and printed materials. This visit set the stage for our later discussions about key authors as we first examined a beautiful Renaissance Facsimile of Virgil’s Aeneid, followed by various 15th century collections of Latin letters and poetry and then crucial, 16th century printed editions and the portraits contained within them. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect us to our authors of the day, grounding our presentations in the physical artifacts that historians engage with.

Discussions

Back at Palazzo Alberti, the academic presentations began with two papers in Session 1 focusing on the often-overlooked contributions of female humanists in early fifteenth century Italy. Alex Tadel focused on a letter-exchange between the daughter of a Venetian primary school teacher and a noblewoman from Puglia, challenging the perception of women Latinists as primarily confined to a certain social class or region. Florence Forte focused on the themes of ‘humanism and education’ and ‘consolation and spirituality’ in letters by Battista Malatesta, connecting the author to Latinate men and women in her wider network.

The focus of Session 2 was late fifteenth century Venice, with both speakers focusing on the figure of Cassandra Fedele. Giada Tonetto looked specifically at how Fedele established connections with contemporary literary circles using precise and stylistic rhetorical devices. Sarah Ferrari gave a glimpse into her current work providing the first interdisciplinary analysis of portraits and accompanying Latin mottos associated with Fedele, Isotta Nogarola and Laura Cereta. In Session 3 we moved into the 16th century and the Reformation period, starting with Antonella Cagnolati’s talk on Olimpia Morata from her cultural and intellectual background to her religious devotion, exile and literary contributions. Hanna Berendse focused on a lesser-known author called Anna Pallantia, aiming to reconstruct her position within European humanist circles and the evolution of her growth and use of classical models.

Session 4 took us into the 17th century. Megan Osler gave a presentation on the Dutch author Anna Maria van Schurman, who was an active participant in the Republic of Letters and the ‘Republic of Women’. Osler explored tensions and gendered concerns in her correspondence to both male and female peers. Antonios Pontoropoulos shared his research on Swedish female intellectuals and classicists, with a focus on Queen Christina of Sweden and Sophia Elisabeth Brenner, how these women utilised the ancient literary tradition, and the potential significance of their sources and connections for broader discussions of women’s roles and education. Finally, we ended the day with a wonderful, bespoke aperitivo hosted by Dondino Bookique where we were able to converse over cocktails named after prominent women Latinists who had emerged throughout the day: a unique fusion of scholarship, creativity and community!

Looking Ahead

Overall, the workshop was a great success, fostering interesting discussion about new and old material and exploring crucial questions that we will continue to build upon as we disseminate the workshop proceedings. Congratulations and thanks go to everyone who hosted and participated in the day, and we look forward to sharing more very soon.

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