Folly and the Feminine in the Renaissance

Folie: FOLly and the feminine in the RenaissancEA woman rhetor, vituperating societys vices and errors, destined to be misunderstood, self-ironic and suave, then harsh and moralizing, at last ecstatic and preaching: Erasmus Folly is an imposing figure, who has interrogated scholars for centuries with her unfathomable speech, presented as a joke but of momentous relevance.

The orators gender, which has received very little attention by scientific literature, is, instead, crucial in answering from a new perspective the construction of the feminine in Christian literature and theology and revealing a possible expressive outlet and role for women writers and theologians.

The fools mask, as donned by Erasmus protagonist and by many actual female writers of the Renaissance, is at the same time revelation and refuge, epiphany and hiding place; a symbol, in its insignificance and ridicule, of the very same scandal of the Christian religion, in Pauline terms.

My project will therefore study how Erasmus and other key figures of the Renaissance-influenced by Erasmus' writings and located in the same theological tradition, such as Marguerite of Navarre, Louise Lab, and others- used the mask of the fool as a tool to express and reveal truths, such as the scandalous announcement of the Gospel, and to allow womens expression.

This approach will redefine the construction of the feminine in Renaissance Europe, focusing on the French Italian context, by reflecting on the revelatory, positive value of folly, intended theologically as the language of simple, scandalous truths.

My project will thus contribute to the definition of the representation and self representation of the feminine in the Renaissance and, through the permanence in the USA and the according supervision, I will be able to present an innovative and much-needed profile of expert.