Cultural History of Sexuality in the Renaissance

Europe saw such revolutionary cultural change between 1450 and 1650 that those who witnessed the transformations conceived of the period as a time of rebirth. Ideas and practices around sexuality were transformed as much as any other aspect of society. Religious change, the growth of empires, educational development, social mobility, the theater and the printing press, and medical advances all radically reshaped sexuality in the West. Focusing on texts, images, and social practices, this volume examines the changing attitudes to sexuality during the Renaissance and the strategies used both to enforce and subvert public assumptions and standards. A Cultural History of Sexuality in the Renaissance presents an overview of the period with essays on heterosexuality, homosexuality, sexual variations, religious and legal issues, health concerns, popular beliefs about sexuality, prostitution and erotica.

Bette Talvacchia is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Art History in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Connecticut and author of Raphael and Taking Positions: On the Erotic in Renaissance Culture.