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The most prominent woman in Renaissance Florence, Lucrezia Tornabuoni de' Medici (1425-1482) lived during her city's golden age. Wife of Piero de' Medici and mother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Tornabuoni exerted considerable influence on Florence's political and social affairs. She was also, as this volume illustrates, a gifted and prolific poet.This is the first major collection in any language of her extensive body of religious poems. Ranging from gentle lyrics on the Nativity to moving dialogues between a crucified Christ and the weeping sinner who kneels before him, the nine laudi (poems of praise) included here are among the few such poems known to have been written by a woman. Tornabuoni's five storie sacre, narrative poems based on the lives of biblical figures-three of whom, Judith, Susanna, and Esther, are Old Testament heroines-are virtually unique in their range and expressiveness. Together with Jane Tylus's substantial introduction, these poems offer us both a fascinating portrait of a highly educated and creative woman and a lively sense of cultural and social life in Renaissance Florence.
E-Book Content
SACRED NARRATIVES
A SeriesEditedby MargaretL. King and Albert Rabil Jr. OTHER BOOKS HENRICUS
CORNELIUS
AGRIPPA
IN THE SERIES LUCREZIA
MARINELLA
Declamation on the Nobility and Preeminenceoj the Female Sex
The Nobility and Excellence of Women, and the Defects and Vices of Men
EdIted and translated by Albert Rabd Jr
EdIted and translated by Anne Dunhill wIth LetIzia Panizza
LAURA
CERETA
CollectedLettersoj a RenaissanceFeminist
ANTONIA
Edited and translated by D,ana Robl11
Florentine Drama for Convent and Festival
TULLIA
D'ARAGONA
PULCI
EdIted and translated by James Wyatt Cook
Dialogue on the Infinity of Love EdItedand translated by Rinaldlna Russell and Bruce Merry CASSANDRA
FEDELE
Letters and Orations
SISTER
BARTOLOMEA
RICCOBONI
LiJe and Death in a Venetian Convent· The Chronicle and Necrology oj Corpus Domini, 1395-1436 EdIted al1d translated by Dawie! Bomstein
EdIted and translated by D,ana RobIn ANNA CECILIA
FERRAZZI
AutobIography of an Aspinng Saint EdIted and translated by Anne Jacobson Schutte MODERATA
FONTE
MARIA VAN SCHURMAN
Whether a Christian Woman Should Be Educated and Other Writings from Her Intellectual Circle EdItedand translated by Joyce L IrWIn LUCREZIA
TORNABUONI
DE' MEDICI
The Worth of Women
Sacred Narratives
EdItedand translated by V,rgin,a Cox
Edited and translated by Jane Tylus
VERONICA
JUAN
FRANCO
Poems and Selected Letters EdItedand translated by Ann Rosall11dJones al1dMargaret F Rosel1thal
LUIS
VIVES
The EducatIon of a Christian Woman· A Sixteenth-Century Manual EdIted and translated by CharlesFantazzi
LuereZ ia Torn£1bU 0 n i de' Medici
SACREDI NARRATIVrES
Edited and Translated by Jane Tylus
THE
UNIVERSITY
Chicago
OF &
CHICAGO
London
PRESS
Jane Tylu5 is professor of Italian and associate dean for the humanitics in the College of Letters and Science, Universtty of Wisconsin, Madison. Her books Include Writing and Vulnerabilityin theLate Renaissanceand Epic Traditionsin the ContemporaryWorld The Poeticsof Community,coedited with Margaret Beissmger and Susanne Wofford. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd, London © 2001 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved Published 2001 Pnnted In the United States of Amenca 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 1 2 3