Book

A lady's man : the cicisbei, private morals and national identity in Italy

Bizzocchi, Roberto, 1953-, Mazhar, Noor Giovanni, translator

Overview

\"Three people in a marriage: a woman and two men. This was the eighteenth-century Italian aristocratic model of marriage, characterized by the presence of the cicisbeo, the official escort of another man's wife. Did this delineate a clear and brazen sexual depravity or rather a complex and refined social institution, revealing many aspects of Italian civilization in the Age of the Enlightenment? Not only was the presence of a cicisbeo part of a matrimonial, family model; it was also an important factor socially and politically. In a period in which the presence of women at parties was sought--at the theatre and in salons--the lady's escort played an essential part in promoting a couple's social life. Indeed, the company and friendship (and perhaps love) which bound a lady and her escort occurred with the knowledge and under the control of the families of the interested parties. Of course, this 'triangular' arrangement was not unproblematic. The existence of a third party posed a threat to conjugal fidelity and the legitimacy of offspring and, towards the early nineteenth century, when the ideals of Romanticism and the French Revolution were popular there was a rapid decline in the practice. For as Italy reconstructed its national identity alongside other modern European countries the image of private immorality associated with cicisbeism constituted an intolerable blemish\"--Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Subject: Man-woman relationships Italy History 18th century. / Marriage Italy History 18th century. / Aristocracy (Social class) Italy History 18th century. / Political culture Italy History 18th century. / National characteristics, Italian History 18th century. / Nationalism Italy History 18th century. / HISTORY / General. / HISTORY / Europe / General. / HISTORY / Europe / Italy. / HISTORY / Modern / 18th Century. / SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies. / LITERARY CRITICISM / European / Italian. / Italy Social life and customs 18th century. / Italy Social conditions 18th century. / Italy Moral conditions History 18th century. / Italy Politics and government 18th century.
• ISBN: 9781137450920, 1137450924

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Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
DG447.B5813 2014	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE