Laura Cereta: In defense of a "Republic of Women"

Abstract

Would exceptional and intellectually talented women be exceptions to the rule? Laura Cereta, an Italian humanist of the 15th century, seeks to answer this question, which accurately reflects a conception of femininity repeatedly presented and defended by philosophers and writers affiliated with various intellectual traditions, in one of her most incisive letters within her collection of epistolary essays. Throughout the lines addressed to a correspondent ironically named Bibolo Semproni, Cereta challenges and aims to refute, using examples from history and mythology, the idea that women are inherently morally and intellectually inferior. This article closely follows the argument developed by the author in the specific letter, highlighting especially her defense of women's right to education and her use of the image of a kind of genealogical tree, a long and noble lineage of celebrated women – a generositas – indicating the existence of a historically documented and constituted “republic of women” [respublica mulierum].