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The Representation of Women's Emotions in Medieval and Early Modern
Culture. Edited by Lisa Perfetti. Gainesville: University Press of
Florida, 2005. Pp. iviii + 222. $65.
While completing her book Women and Laughter (2003), Lisa Perfetti
noticed that lament and laughter shared common features, and she therefore
envisioned a broader study of women's emotions. Her introduction to the
work at hand not only provides the customary synopsis of the eight essays
that follow, but as an essay in its own right, it outlines problems that
in her view should be covered in this, the first exploration of women's
emotions in medieval and early modern times. These include the relationship
between emotions and the body, with class and ethnicity, their influence
on behavior and community, and finally, women's understanding and use
of their own emotions. The introduction thus provides suggestions for
further research. Perfetti's guiding hand is not only evident in the chronological,
geographic, and thematic choice of subjects but also in the fact that
half of the authors thank her specifically for help and insight. (p. 6).
Jenny Jochens
Baltimore, Maryland
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