Routledge Cuckoldry, Impotence and Adultery in Europe (15th-17th century) (Visual Culture in Early Modernity)

In Renaissance and early modern Europe, various constellations of phenomena-ranging from sex scandals to legal debates to flurries of satirical prints-collectively demonstrate, at different times and places, an increased concern with cuckoldry, impotence and adultery. This concern emerges in unusual events (such as scatological rituals of house-scorning), appears in neglected sources (such as drawings by Swiss mercenary soldier-artists), and engages innovative areas of inquiry (such as the intersection between medical theory and Renaissance comedy). Interdisciplinary analytical tools are here deployed to scrutinize court scandals and decipher archival documents. Household recipes, popular literary works and a variety of visual media are examined in the light of contemporary sexual culture and contextualized with reference to current social and political issues. The essays in this volume reveal the central importance of sexuality and sexual metaphor for our understanding of European history, politics and culture, and emphasize the extent to which erotic presuppositions underpinned the early modern world. Review "This volume convincingly argues that historical studies have long reflected the double standard by which women are primarily blamed for adultery, while little scholarly attention has been paid to the male side of the coin. For the first time a team of historians, art historians and scholars of drama and literature investigate this ubiquitous aspect of the erotic cultures of the past by close reading of a wide and imaginative range of sources and contexts, including iconography. By so doing, contributors shed new light on a variety of diverse topics such as Renaissance comedy, medical empiricism, military culture and dynastic history. The book, which fills quite a curious gap, is highly recommended to scholars of Renaissance and early modern European society, of gender and the body, of sexual mores, and of imagery and stereotypes in the longue durée." - Alessandro Arcangeli, Universita di Verona, Italy "This interdisciplinary collection of relatively brief essays proposes to redress what the editor asserts has been an imbalance of scholarly focus on female adultery at the expense of cuckoldry. The collection is weighted toward Renaissance Italian case studies (seven essays), but also features chapters on England, Switzerland, and France, and authors engage with secondary and primary sources from wider early modern Europe. ... Chapters also refer to each other directly where relevant, which suggests good editorial direction and increases the sense of coherence across the volume." - H-Net Reviews About the Author Sara F. Matthews-Grieco is Professor of History and Coordinator of Women's & Gender Studies at Syracuse University in Florence, Italy. She is also the editor of Erotic Cultures of Renaissance Italy.