VENICE-O-METER 7
Remarkable essays about the impact of the printing press on the lives of women in Renaissance Venice
These brief essays by historian Tiziana Plebani are nothing short of enlightening. Here are some of the things I learned —
- I always thought of the expansion of the printing press as promoting the dissemination of books. But in fact, Plebani points out, in Renaissance Venice printers offered mostly loose-leaf publications, or publications that included a few pages at most. These were affordable and allowed the sharing of snippets of information — for example, some health concoction recipes, an alphabet, a few prayers etc.
- I always thought of literacy as springing from schools. However, Plebani says, in Renaissance Venice it was more common for children to be taught how to read at home. Images of the Holy Virgin with a child Jesus on her knee, both holding a hornbook (i.e. a single-sided alphabet tablet) drive home the point.
- I always thought of the printing press as a vehicle for text. But Plebani explains that it also allowed for the sharing of images and, in the realm of women’s lives, this meant that embroidery patterns could be more easily disseminated. This is especially relevant in a city that was known for its fabrics (and its lace).
- The printing press allowed for the development of all kinds of skills, thanks to teach-yourself books dedicated to topics like foreign languages or arithmetic. It makes all the more sense in a merchant city like Venice, and one that welcomed merchants from far-away regions. Plebani shares hilarious examples of math problems featured in some publications — lots of eggs being sold at the market are involved — and examples of vocabulary lists that appeared in foreign language manuals. Letter-writing was also essential in a time when Venetian merchants could travel abroad for extended periods, and some books offered extensive letter templates, including for the wives of such merchants.
The Venice-O-Meter score is relatively low because the book doesn’t focus much on specific sites.
Reading Venice 