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More on Lesbian Nuns in the Italian Renaissance

Sunday, June 7, 2026 - 09:00

Sometimes, what looks like a fascinating article simply turns out to be a view into an academic slap-fight. Still interesting but not particularly relevant.

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Bell, Rudolph M. 1987. “Renaissance Sexuality and the Florentine Archives: An Exchange” in Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3: pp. 485-511

This response (and re-response) to Judith Brown’s Immodest Acts is one of those features of academic discourse in which one scholar takes a public podium to critique the scholarship and conclusions of a colleague. As usual, it includes a rebuttal by the original author.

To be honest, the substance of this article hinges on details of the authorship and chronology of the primary resources but does not substantially dispute the events or conclusions with regard to Benedetta Carlini’s erotic activities. Therefore I see no practical point in summarizing it in detail

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