The first comprehensive study on the role of Italian fashion and Italian literature; this book analyzes clothing and fashion as described and represented in literary texts and costume books in the Italy of the 16th and 17th centuries. Writing Fashion in Early Modern Italy emphasizes the centrality of Italian literature and culture for understanding modern theories of fashion and gauging its impact in the shaping of codes of civility and taste in Europe and the West. Using literature to uncover what has been called the rsquo;animatedness of clothing;rsquo; author Eugenia Paulicelli explores the political meanings that clothing produces in public space. At the core of the book is the idea that the texts examined here act as maps that; first; pinpoint the establishment of fashion as a social institution of modernity; and; second; gauge the meaning of clothing at a personal and a political level. As well as Castiglionersquo;s The Book of the Courtier and Cesare Vecelliorsquo;s The Clothing of the Renaissance World; the author looks at works by Italian writers whose books are not yet available in English translation; such as those by Giacomo Franco; Arcangela Tarabotti; and Agostino Lampugnani. Paying particular attention to literature and the relevance of clothing in the shaping of codes of civility and style; this volume complements the existing and important works on Italian fashion and material culture in the Renaissance. It makes the case for the centrality of Italian literature and the interconnectedness of texts from a variety of genres for an understanding of the history of Italian style; and serves to contextualize the debate on dress in other European literatures.
#916748 in eBooks 2016-02-29 2016-02-29File Name: B01BUGPT9E
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Linda G. MerchantOne of my favorite group of performing artists and an excellent book on their origins and process.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Historical perspective of El Movimiento from a Chicana feminist perspective using theatre.By Patricia D. SaragosaA wonderful expose from women members of Teatro Chicana from Cal State San Diego from the mid 1970s through early 1980s. Provides a political overview of the Chicano Movement; and the struggles of early Chicana feminsits seeking their poltical voice within a male dominated movement. Emphasis is on how the focus of their plays (which are included) reflected the social and cultural concerns of the times including; human rights; worker rights; immigration and gender issues. This memoir contains deeply personal and intimate memories of the actresses; and outlines their poltical development as young Mexicana and Chicana women forging new paths through their struggles and friendships. A must read for future feminists and Chicanas. A real tribute to the lasting friendship of women; and the humanitarian ideals that bind the human spirit.
