Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)

Rating:
Summary: Sweet Fruit of Poetry
Review: Rosenthal helps the reader bring Veronica Franco, a woman courtesan (a "high society" prostitute)and poet, of the 1500's to life through her poetry. The current movie, "Dangerous Beauty" with Katherine McCormick, is a hollywood version of Veronia Franco's life. The introduction of the book is a brief but interesting and is an important part of understanding the poetry. Rosenthal gives you many details and interesting facts behind the the poetry. She also provides the reader with an understanding of life in Venice in the 1500's, often important in interpreting the poetry. Unfortunatly, Rosenthal's writing style is cold and heavy reading. It reminds me of graduate school texts. Fortunatly the subject matter kept my interest. Franco was an amazing person and is well represented in her poetry and by Rosenthal words.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful reading
Review: The book is romantic and charming. I enjoyed it because it was written by a prostitute and she explained her life as a human being. Whereas most books treat prostitutes as abtract objects being studied by an out of touch intellectual. I was delighted at the content and found it to be enjoyable reading. However, the interpretation of the poetry to English forces it to loose its rhyme and the poems seem weak on depth. If you are reading it for quality poetry, you would be best off reading other classics. The poems simply give a window into this facisnating woman's life. They are not artfully written poems, they are just amazing because they were written in a time period when women were not supposed to be educated.

Rating:
Summary: Untitled
Review: Though some of the letters included in this book are quite hard to get through without having a coffee break, the poems are absolutely fascinating. They are filled with passion and mystery. The majority of poems to or from lovers of Veronica Franco in this book are unknown, which leaves the beauty of being able to make up your own mind. This title doesn't focus so much on her life so if your after history of Veronica then another title might be more suitable. Otherwise this is well worth the buy.

Rating:
Summary: Untitled
Review: Though some of the letters included in this book are quite hard to get through without having a coffee break, the poems are absolutely fascinating. They are filled with passion and mystery. The majority of poems to or from lovers of Veronica Franco in this book are unknown, which leaves the beauty of being able to make up your own mind. This title doesn't focus so much on her life so if your after history of Veronica then another title might be more suitable. Otherwise this is well worth the buy.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet Fruit of Poetry
Review: Veronica Franco had an unbelieveable ability to write-beautifully translated and expressed in Poems and Selected Letters (Other Voice in Early Modern Europe). Margaret F. Rosenthal put this book together with careful thinking, allowing it's readers to skip to different poems and letters easily. I am not reviewing Ms. Rosenthal as much as I am Veronica Franco in her writing. The poetry is revolved around her daily events, none out of the ordinary. My particular favorite being Capitulo 13-A Challenge To A Lover Who Has Offended Her. Excellent for those interested in this portion of history, a Courtesan's life, and one who loves poetry. Very beautiful! I rated it 4 out of 5 stars-it only lacks the one star because it take a working brain to relate the poetry to what it actually means. But once done, it is well worth the time. :)