Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence
In circa 1454, the Florentine Archbishop Antonino Pierozzi (later St. Antoninus) composed a spiritual guidebook, called Opera a ben vivere (A Work to Live Well by), for an elite Florentine laywoman, presumed to be Dianora Tornabuoni. Contained within this book are instructions to his female reader f...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Open University
2015-02-01
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| Series: | The Open Arts Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://openartsjournal.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/oaj_issue4_flanigan.pdf |
| _version_ | 1828425718192668672 |
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| author | Theresa Flanigan |
| author_facet | Theresa Flanigan |
| author_sort | Theresa Flanigan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In circa 1454, the Florentine Archbishop Antonino Pierozzi (later St. Antoninus) composed a spiritual guidebook, called Opera a ben vivere (A Work to Live Well by), for an elite Florentine laywoman, presumed to be Dianora Tornabuoni. Contained within this book are instructions to his female reader for how to protect her soul from vice and, therefore, ‘live well’ by controlling her sensual appetite, especially her desire for speech. In this text, Antoninus singles out three types of speech as particularly harmful if performed by his female reader. These sinful types of speech are excessive talk, idle talk (i.e. gossip), and intemperate laughter. This article analyses Antoninus’s argument for the regulation of his female reader’s sensual appetite for speech by contextualising it within early renaissance penitential culture and relative to Aristotelian and Christian notions about the nature of women. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:36:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ded76ddaf1f748189be2ac5ed5acfab8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-3679 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:36:03Z |
| publishDate | 2015-02-01 |
| publisher | The Open University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Open Arts Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-ded76ddaf1f748189be2ac5ed5acfab82022-12-22T01:41:25ZengThe Open UniversityThe Open Arts Journal2050-36792015-02-014416010.5456/issn.2050-3679/2015w03Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance FlorenceTheresa Flanigan 0The College of Saint RoseIn circa 1454, the Florentine Archbishop Antonino Pierozzi (later St. Antoninus) composed a spiritual guidebook, called Opera a ben vivere (A Work to Live Well by), for an elite Florentine laywoman, presumed to be Dianora Tornabuoni. Contained within this book are instructions to his female reader for how to protect her soul from vice and, therefore, ‘live well’ by controlling her sensual appetite, especially her desire for speech. In this text, Antoninus singles out three types of speech as particularly harmful if performed by his female reader. These sinful types of speech are excessive talk, idle talk (i.e. gossip), and intemperate laughter. This article analyses Antoninus’s argument for the regulation of his female reader’s sensual appetite for speech by contextualising it within early renaissance penitential culture and relative to Aristotelian and Christian notions about the nature of women.https://openartsjournal.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/oaj_issue4_flanigan.pdfwomensinspeechsensespenitential literatureAntonino Pierozzi (St Antoninus)renaissanceFlorenceTornabuonigossiplaughter |
| spellingShingle | Theresa Flanigan Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence The Open Arts Journal women sin speech senses penitential literature Antonino Pierozzi (St Antoninus) renaissance Florence Tornabuoni gossip laughter |
| title | Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence |
| title_full | Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence |
| title_fullStr | Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence |
| title_short | Disciplining the tongue: Archbishop Antoninus, the Opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women’s speech in renaissance Florence |
| title_sort | disciplining the tongue archbishop antoninus the opera a ben vivere and the regulation of women s speech in renaissance florence |
| topic | women sin speech senses penitential literature Antonino Pierozzi (St Antoninus) renaissance Florence Tornabuoni gossip laughter |
| url | https://openartsjournal.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/oaj_issue4_flanigan.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT theresaflanigan discipliningthetonguearchbishopantoninustheoperaabenvivereandtheregulationofwomensspeechinrenaissanceflorence |