The Worth Of Women By Moderata Fonte

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If you ever wondered what people thought about their lives centuries ago then this piece of literature is of your interest. The Worth of Women: Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men was written by Moderata Fonte and translated by Virginia Cox. The novel portrays the theme of the abuse of women and is written in dialogue to assist with interpreting this message. Moderata’s uncle, Giovanni Niccolò Doglioni, wrote a biography of her called Life of Signora Modesta Pozzo de ' Zorzi, known as Moderata Fonte. We learn that Moderata was born into a respected family in the year 1553 and orphaned before the age of one. Many family members volunteered to take care of her and her older brother because they would be compensated …show more content…
After that, the seven Venetian women who will carry on the dialogue are introduced. Leonora is a young widow whose home the women are gathered at. Helena is a newly wed who has been gone to the main since her wedding. Adriana is the oldest of the bunch that is married and is the mother of Virginia. Virginia is an unmarried girl who lives at home and is hesitant about marriage. Cornelia is an unhappily married woman. Lucretia is an older married woman who is not happy in her marriage but believes that women should marry. Corinna is a younger woman who has decided not to marry and instead pursue an education. The women decide to continue their conversation in the homes garden that is filled with statues of women that represent the disagreement of marriage. The women are not accompanied by anyone else and decide to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of men. They assign Adriana as the “Queen” and leader of the debate. Leonora, Cornelia and Corinna argue against men, while Helen, Virginia, and Lucretia defend them. Virginia begins the discussion by asking if men are so imperfect then how is it that they have made themselves superior to women? Corinna explains that men believe God made a man to lead and women to follow. Leonora adds that they have abused their belief and use it as an excuse to bully women. The women complain about how fathers, brothers, sons …show more content…
Corinna describes how women feel when they are married, she states, “And when it 's said that women must be subject to men, the phrase should be understood in the same sense as when we say that we are subject to natural disasters, diseases, and all the other accidents of this life: it 's not a case of being subject in the sense of obeying, but rather of suffering an imposition” (Moderata 59). Corinna Salvadori Lonergan wrote a book review on The Worth of Women in which she states, “ The environment in which Fonte’s women lived comes alive, with marriage as the institution which incarcerated them” (Lonergan). Valeria Finucci wrote a book report on The Worth of Women. She reports that Moderata wrote about the powerlessness and lack of authority that women experienced in the 1600. The seven Venetian ladies discussed the advantages and disadvantages of marriage, as well as the worth of women. Marriage is shown as an inconvenience to women because of they way they were treated by men. Women did not have legal rights throughout their life no matter their age or social class

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