Translating Italy for the Eighteenth Century

British Women, Translation and Travel Writing (1739-1797)

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics
Cover of the book Translating Italy for the Eighteenth Century by Mirella Agorni, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mirella Agorni ISBN: 9781317640622
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 8, 2014
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Mirella Agorni
ISBN: 9781317640622
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 8, 2014
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Translating Italy in the Eighteenth Century offers a historical analysis of the role played by translation in that complex redefinition of women's writing that was taking place in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century. It investigates the ways in which women writers managed to appropriate images of Italy and adapt them to their own purposes in a period which covers the 'moral turn' in women's writing in the 1740s and foreshadows the Romantic interest in Italy at the end of the century.

 

A  brief survey of translations produced by women in the period 1730-1799 provides an overview of the genres favoured by women translators, such as the moral novel, sentimental play and a type of conduct literature of a distinctively 'proto-feminist' character. Elizabeth Carter's translation of Francesco Algarotti's II Newtonianesimo per le Dame (1739) is one of the best examples of the latter kind of texts. A close reading of the English translation indicates a 'proto-feminist' exploitation of the myth of Italian women's cultural prestige.

 

Another genre increasingly accessible to women, namely travel writing, confirms this female interest in Italy. Female travellers who visited Italy in the second half of the century, such as Hester Piozzi, observed the state of women's education through the lenses provided by Carter. Piozzi's image of Italy, a paradoxical mixture of imagination and realistic observation, became a powerful symbolic source, which enabled the fictional image of a modern, relatively egalitarian British society to take shape.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Translating Italy in the Eighteenth Century offers a historical analysis of the role played by translation in that complex redefinition of women's writing that was taking place in Britain in the second half of the eighteenth century. It investigates the ways in which women writers managed to appropriate images of Italy and adapt them to their own purposes in a period which covers the 'moral turn' in women's writing in the 1740s and foreshadows the Romantic interest in Italy at the end of the century.

 

A  brief survey of translations produced by women in the period 1730-1799 provides an overview of the genres favoured by women translators, such as the moral novel, sentimental play and a type of conduct literature of a distinctively 'proto-feminist' character. Elizabeth Carter's translation of Francesco Algarotti's II Newtonianesimo per le Dame (1739) is one of the best examples of the latter kind of texts. A close reading of the English translation indicates a 'proto-feminist' exploitation of the myth of Italian women's cultural prestige.

 

Another genre increasingly accessible to women, namely travel writing, confirms this female interest in Italy. Female travellers who visited Italy in the second half of the century, such as Hester Piozzi, observed the state of women's education through the lenses provided by Carter. Piozzi's image of Italy, a paradoxical mixture of imagination and realistic observation, became a powerful symbolic source, which enabled the fictional image of a modern, relatively egalitarian British society to take shape.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Three Levels of Sustainability by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book The Spirit of Project Management by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Memory and Memorials by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Dewey and Education by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book The Two of Me by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book The Building of an American Catholic Church by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Bioequity – Property and the Human Body by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Social and Political Thought of Julius Evola by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Attention in Action by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Handbook of World Exchange Rates, 1590–1914 by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Handbook of Restorative Justice by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Design and Truth in Autobiography by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book The Troubled Rhetoric and Communication of Climate Change by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Queenship and Political Power in Medieval and Early Modern Spain by Mirella Agorni
Cover of the book Reducing Armed Violence with NGO Governance by Mirella Agorni
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy