These selected essays from two conferences held at Johns Hopkins University in 1990 and 1992 (of the same title as the volume) demonstrate how gender functions in genres of Italian literature
and from the 14th century to the present. The discussions are much livelier than the theme would imply, definitely dusting off old Italian scholarship with subjects such as nudity in the
Decameron , the traffic in muses of Italian painters, women's war poetry, transgressive transvestism in three scala scenarios, gender and homicide in Alba CTspedes, making the lesbian body, and
a keynote address by Italian feminist Luisa Muraro on women and power. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
