Adaptation of Femina improba in the Sidney circle: Geoffrey Whitney’s Emblematic Rendition of the ‘Dishonest Woman’

Result code in IS VaVaI

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Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Adaptation of Femina improba in the Sidney circle: Geoffrey Whitney’s Emblematic Rendition of the ‘Dishonest Woman’

Original language description

During his journeys around the Continent (1572-1577), Philip Sidney found persons interested in emblems as well as sources of inspiration regarding this art in the circle around Hubert Languet and Johannes Sambucus in Vienna and among intellectuals who frequented the house of the Camerarii in Nuremberg. After his return to England, Sidney’s interest in emblems continued. This further elaboration is linked especially to Geoffrey Whitney (1548–1601), whose A Choice of Emblemes was the first English selection of emblems. In this paper I will focus particularly on the reception of a “dishonest woman” and its transmission from continental to the English emblem books in the context of Sidney circle. The contribution investigates the emblem “Femina improba” by Hadrianus Iunius and Johannes Sambucus, and “Venus improba” of Joachim Camerarius the Younger, and its adaptation in Whitney. Both images borrow from what is probably Plinyʼs account of the classical story, in which a male viper places his head in the mouth of a female before being duly decapitated in the throes of orgiastic frenzy. While Camerarius emblem features two snakes entwined in what appears to be a more gentle embrace (resembling the alchemistic symbol of double ouroboros), the Iunius-Sambucus emblem is a more visceral and naturalistic depiction of the murderous act. Whitney, on the other hand, extracting Iunius´ 38th emblem, adjusts the original verses in order to weaken the misogyny of his source and addresses the warning strictly to violating the law of marriage. It is supposed this alteration needed to be done due to his patron Leicester’s wife accusations. Nevertheless, I would like to argue that it, at least partially, arouse from the general Philip and Mary Sidneysʼ perception of woman.Název akceThe Sixteenth Century Society ConferenceMísto konáníToronto, Ontario, KanadaDatum zahájení31.10.2024Datum ukončení02.11.2024Organizátor konferenceSixteenth Century Society, USA

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

60401 - Arts, Art history

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů