MLN

A remarkable novelty within the early modern Italian tradition of literary dialogue was its inclusion in significant numbers of women among the interlocutors portrayed. Read with due sensitivity to genre conventions, these dialogues can offer insights into gendered speech decorum that interestingly nuance the evidence offered by prescriptive texts such as conduct manuals. The essay offers an overview of early modern Italian dialogues featuring female speakers, encompassing a chronological account of their development, and discussions of their production contexts and thematics, as well as an analysis of their gender dynamics.