Women and Friendship in Early Modern Italy A
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Ties that Bind: Women and Friendship in Early Modern Italy A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Italian by Adriana Laura Guarro 2020 Ó Copyright by Adriana Laura Guarro 2020 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Ties that Bind: Women and Friendship in Early Modern Italy by Adriana Laura Guarro Doctor of Philosophy in Italian University of California, Los Angeles, 2020 Professor Andrea Moudarres, Co-Chair Professor Deanna Shemek, Co-Chair This dissertation is a comparative study of literary texts authored by sixteenth-century Italian women that treat female friendship across the genres of epistolary writing, lyric poetry, and heroic poetry. The primary works under consideration include the correspondence between Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471–1526) and Isabella d’Este (1474–1539), the lyric poems authored by women in Lodovico Domenichi’s anthology Rime diverse d’alcune nobilissime et virtuosissime donne (1559), and Margherita Sarrocchi’s heroic poem the Scanderbeide (1623). In addition to the long-standing classical and Christian notions of friendship that held strong in Renaissance Italy, the genres of epistolary writing, lyric poetry, and heroic poetry each had a distinct and mostly male literary tradition of friendship. The literary works in this study reveal the various ways early modern Italian women contributed to their respective genres, and moreover, to larger cultural discourses on friendship by inserting the female perspective and experience. Their writings not only illuminate their ii understandings and interpretations of female bonds but also demonstrate their use of writing to initiate and maintain friendships with other women. Chapter 1 looks at women’s epistolary prose through the correspondence between two princesses who were sisters-in-law, Elisabetta Gonzaga, the duchess of Urbino, and Isabella d’Este, marchesa of Mantua. Focusing primarily on letters exchanged during the beginning years of their friendship, I show how the two noblewomen relied on letter writing to express and reciprocate sentiments of intimacy. Chapter 2 on the Rime diverse d’alcune nobilissime et virtuosissime donne, the first all-female lyric anthology edited by Lodovico Domenichi, analyzes the friendship poems—sonnet exchanges between women to celebrate and form literary friendships and single-authored lyric that depict women’s bonds—present in the collection. Looking at these two types of lyric in tandem, I argue that Petrarchism authorized women’s expressions and representations of female friendship. Chapter 3 focuses on the heroic poem of Margherita Sarrocchi (1560–1617). Drawing from her classical and Renaissance predecessors who in their heroic poems depict and highlight friendships between male warriors, Sarrocchi revises the tradition by portraying and celebrating the bond that develops between two of the poem’s female protagonists, Rosmonda and Silveria. While much has been explored with respect to male friendship in Italian Renaissance literature, the topic of female friendship has remained mostly untouched. With this study, I therefore address this need to uncover women’s discourses on friendship by providing alternative perspectives and new insights on a subject that was traditionally understood in male terms. iii The dissertation of Adriana Laura Guarro is approved. Massimo Ciavolella Lucia Re Andrea Moudarres, Committee Co-Chair Deanna Shemek, Committee Co-Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2020 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... vi CURRICULUM VITA .................................................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1. THE FRIENDSHIP LETTERS OF ISABELLA D’ESTE AND ELISABETTA GONZAGA .............................................................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER 2. WOMEN’S FRIENDSHIP IN THE RIME DIVERSE D’ALCUNE NOBILISSIME ET VIRTUOSISSIME DONNE .............................................................................. 86 CHAPTER 3. REVISING THE HEROIC FRIENDSHIP TRADITION: MARGHERTIA SARROCCHI AND LA SCANDERBEIDE ................................................................................... 153 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 246 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 253 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to give special thanks to my two co-chairs. Since I began at UCLA, Andrea Moudarres has always been receptive of my ideas, encouraging me to steer my research towards my own interests. I have enjoyed his classes, especially the one on Renaissance epic, which first exposed me to the wonderful worlds encapsulated in these narrative poems. He also has provided me with constant support during this long six-year process, with consistent check-ins to ensure my professional growth and mental sanity. Deanna Shemek, with the many hats she wears, has provided me with invaluable help. While her editorial eye has caught various typos in my writing drafts and has helped me decode the handwriting found in various fifteenth- and sixteenth-century letters, she has also pushed me to think more critically about the texts I analyze and consider the larger cultural and historical questions at play. I have additionally enjoyed our many conversations over the years, whether they be about Isabella d’Este or the best place to grab a sandwich in Mantova. I would also like to thank my other two committee members. Massimo Ciavolella whose passion for Renaissance studies has always been inspiring; he has full faith in his students, helping us find the right resources to carry out our research or connect us with others to exchange intellectual interests. Lastly, but certainly not least, Lucia Re has been instrumental in my intellectual formation as a gender studies scholar. If it were not for her useful suggestions on seminar papers and encouragement to take the topic of female friendship further, I may have not come across my research project. This dissertation would not have been possible without the financial support given to me by the Department of Italian and Graduate Division at UCLA as well as many other centers on campus including the Study for the Center of Women, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and the Center for European and Russian Studies. I also wish to express gratitude to Clara Stella who vi generously shared her research with me on Ludovico Domenichi, the administrative staff of Royce Hall (especially Kerry Allen), and to the librarians and archivists at the Archivio di Stato di Mantova who greeted me with joy every day I stepped foot into their wonderful facility. I have been fortunate to have a family who has unconditionally supported me. They have been especially present and understanding during these last six years. My parents-in-law (Manuel and Teresa), sisters-in-law (Amanda, Pam, and Paola), and brothers-in-law (Josh and Peter) have all brought me joy even when writing got tough; thanks for the love and support you have each given me. To my brothers Luca and Marcello, who both understand the highs and lows of graduate school, you remind me to stay grounded. I am thankful for our strong bond and the fact that no matter how many miles separate us, we always find a way to communicate with each other. Ever since I was little, my parents have instilled in me a love for books and an everlasting curiosity for different literatures, cultures, and languages that has ceased to desist. Papa’, thank you for rarely asking the question, “how is your dissertation going?” but for also helping me when asked. As a nuclear engineer with the ability to decipher difficult Petrarchan poems, you truly are one of those rare people who can cross the boundary between the sciences and humanities. Mom, it goes without saying that you have been my guiding light. Though you let me naturally find my own path, I do think that something must have clicked when I was a young girl traveling with you to academic conferences all over Europe. You’re the first person I go to for any kind of advice, professional or nonprofessional, and I certainly could not have finished this PhD without you. To my husband Manny, you have been my anchor. Whenever I struggled through a piece of writing, you were always there, patiently listening and offering feedback. Whenever I had a looming deadline, you fed me and made sure our freezer was stocked with ice cream. And finally, whenever I needed to hear it—which was often—you reminded me that I was going to finish. Your support and vii encouragement have carried me through these last years and this project is as much yours as it is mine. Finally, I would like to thank my friends who together make up my own community of women. From when we were young—Christine and Milena—to high school—Alex, Frankie, Justine, Keaton, and Victoria—to college—Danielle, Grace, Julie, Katie, and Nina—and to graduate school—Adele, Federica, Sarah, and Viola—you all have uplifted me in