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Folly and the Feminine in the Renaissance

Project description

How femininity was represented during the Renaissance

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1466-1536) was a prominent Dutch Renaissance humanist, scholar, theologian and writer. He wrote ‘In Praise of Folly’ in 1509 as a satirical critique of superstitions and the Latin Church. The character of Folly is a female rhetorician who has been interrogating scholars for centuries, but her gender has received little attention. However, studying Folly can reveal a potential outlet for women writers and theologians to express themselves. During the Renaissance, key figures such as Marguerite of Navarre and Louise Labé used the fool’s mask of Erasmus’ protagonist as a tool to express and reveal truths, enabling women to freely express themselves. The MSCA-funded Folie project will contribute to defining how femininity was represented and self-represented during the Renaissance by reflecting on the revelatory and positive value of Folly.

Objective

Folie: FOLly and the feminine in the RenaissancE
A 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.

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Topic(s)

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 265 099,20
Address
Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
00185 Roma
Italy

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Region
Centro (IT) Lazio Roma
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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