International conference: New Perspectives on Moderata Fonte

23-24 September 2024, University of St Andrews

Organised by Carlotta Moro, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Exeter

Funded by the Society for Italian Studies, the Italian Department at the University of St Andrews, the Italian Cultural Institute of Edinburgh, and NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò.

The SIS-sponsored event ‘New Perspectives on Moderata Fonte’ was conceived as an opportunity to share recent scholarship on the pioneering Venetian author Moderata Fonte (1555-1592) and to consider strategies for the promotion of her work. Over the course of two days, participants discussed Fonte’s lesser-known encomiastic poetry and theatrical pieces, revisited her better-known texts Tredici canti del Floridoro (1581) and Il merito delle donne (1600) through new interpretive lenses, and explored pedagogical approaches to her writings.

The keynote speech, delivered by Virginia Cox and titled ‘‘Di rime armata e del tuo egregio nome:’ Moderata Fonte, war poet,’ explored the Venetian writer’s links with the local intellectual circles in which she was well integrated, and her contributions as a social lyricist to literary forms often considered masculine.

The discussions following each panel revealed not only Fonte’s mastery of multiple genres and her remarkable depth and sophistication as a writer, but also her engagement with and innovation of the theological and philosophical discourses of her time, as well as her active involvement in the cultural scene of the Veneto area – all aspects of her work that require further study. There was a consensus that Fonte’s work should be made accessible to a broader audience, as she deserves recognition as a Renaissance icon in her own right, standing alongside celebrated figures such as Leonardo da Vinci or Machiavelli.

The celebration of Moderata Fonte concluded at the Byre Theatre, with a stage adaptation of The Worth of Women directed by Laura Caparrotti and Jay Stern and sponsored by NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò and the Italian Cultural Institute of Edinburgh.