The Witch and the Fop: Courtly Masculinities and Anti-Courtly Sentiments in Renaissance Italy

• In Event: Stand Up and Write Like a Man!: Masculinity and the Problem of Courtliness in Renaissance Italy

Abstract

The relationship between courtliness and masculinity often appears as a controversial one. The elegant clothes, the refined tastes, and the graceful manners required by life at court are usually interpreted as a threat to the courtiers’ masculinity. The presence of women at court and the degree of their interaction with male courtiers created additional anxieties concerning the feminization of courtiers. In my paper I will explore the way in which such concerns over the masculinity of courtiers intertwined with the anti-court sentiments and the critiques to court life that are a common feature of Renaissance Italian writings. In particular, I will pay attention to satiric writings that represent “The Court” as a powerful, witch-like female figure that subjugates and emasculates her courtiers/suitors.

Author

• Paola Ugolini, University at Buffalo, SUNY