How to do it guides to good living for Renaissance Italians / [electronic resource] :
Rudolph M. Bell.
- University of Chicago Press, 1999.
- 1 online resource (xiii, 375 p.) : ill.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Conception -- Pregnancy and childbirth -- Raising your child -- Adolescence -- Marital relations -- Then and now.
"Hope to conceive a boy? Tie a tourniquet around your husband's left testicle. Pregnant and fear a weak or malformed baby? Frequent hearty laughter should reduce the risk. And if you're a teenager of good repute, avoid dancing at all costs and stay away from wine, cosmetics, and flashy dress, too. What may seem quirky to today's readers certainly wasn't to its original audience - Renaissance Italians. They read advice manuals prodigiously, seeking guidance from the latest books by bestselling alchemists and snake-oil peddlers like Mrs. Isabella Cortese and Dr. Leonardo Fioravanti with an avidity not bestowed even on a Dante or a Machiavelli. How to Do It shows us sixteenth-century Italy from an entirely new perspective: through manuals which were staples in the households of middlebrow Italians just trying to lead better lives."--Jacket.
Families--History--Italy--16th century. Marriage--History--Italy--16th century. Conduct of life--Early works to 1800. Life skills--Italy--Handbooks, manuals, etc. Life skills--Italy--Early works to 1800. Family--Italy. Family Planning Services--History.--Italy Marriage--History.--Italy Parenting--History.--Italy Famille--Histoire--Italie--16e siècle. Mariage--Histoire--Italie--16e siècle. Morale pratique--Ouvrages avant 1800. Habiletés de base--Guides, manuels, etc.--Italie Habiletés de base--Ouvrages avant 1800.--Italie REFERENCE. HEALTH & FITNESS--Beauty & Grooming. Seksuele techniek. Seksuele voorlichting. Opvoeding. Handleidingen.