Performing Female Authorship in 18th-Century Italy: Faustina Maratti Zappi's Poetry in Arcadia

The Academy of Arcadia was a major cultural movement in eighteenth-century Italy, and, most importantly, it was the first Italian academy to systematically admit women intellectuals as members. it thus provided them with an unprecedented space in which to establish themselves as authors, exchange ideas, and reflect collectively on the challenges and possibilities of women's literary production.

This talk will analyze the dynamics of female participation in the Arcadia and will focus on one of its most distinguished female poets, Faustina Maratti Zappi (1679(?)-1745). We will consider her poetry in the context of the Academy's social and performative practices, with particular attention to the representation of women and female authorship.