Lodovico Domenichi (1515–64), one of the major polymaths of sixteenth-century Italy, is currently enjoying a marked revival in the critical literature. Although he has been studied in the context of his contemporary printing and publishing activities, the dissemination of works in the vernacular, the promotion of women’s writings, and the religious crisis of that time, little attention has been devoted to him as a writer. In 1549 Domenichi published a dialogue on and for women, La nobiltà delle donne (The nobility of women). This work allowed him to contribute to the advancement of the women’s cause in Italy. This article investigates how Domenichi modelled the speakers, facilitated their dialogic interaction, and delivered his defence of women. Finally, it sheds light on the role that the female moderator, Violante Bentivoglia, played during the five-day conversations and how she influenced the intellectual and cultural environment dominated by men. Lodovico Domenichi (1515–1564), un des plus grands humanistes italiens et reçoit actuellement un intérêt renouvelé parmi la littérature critique. Bien que son œuvre ait été étudiée dans le contexte de ses activités simultanées d’impression et d’édition, de la circulation de ses ouvrages en langue vernaculaire, de la promotion des écrits féminins et de la crise religieuse de l’époque, très peu de chercheurs se sont penchés sur son travail d’écrivain. En 1549, Domenichi a publié un dialogue sur les femmes et à leur intention, intitulé La nobilità delle donne (La Noblesse des Femmes). Cet ouvrage lui a permis de faire avancer la cause de femmes en Italie. Cet article explore comment Domenichi a construit ses protagonistes et facilité leur dialogue, tout en présentant sa défense des femmes. Enfin, on y met en lumière le rôle modérateur que tient Violante Bentivoglia pendant ces cinq jours de conversation et comment elle influence un environnement intellectuel et culturel dominé par les hommes.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Prelipcean, L., (2025), "Dialogic Construction and Interaction in Lodovico Domenichi’s La nobiltà delle donne", HSSCommons: (DOI: )

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1. Renaissance and Reformation

Original publication: Prelipcean, Laura. "Dialogic Construction and Interaction in Lodovico Domenichi’s La nobiltà delle donne." Renaissance and Reformation 39 (2): 2016. 61-84. DOI: 10.33137/rr.v39i2.26854. This material has been re-published in an unmodified form on the Canadian HSS Commons with the permission of Iter Canada / Renaissance and Reformation. Copyright © the author(s). Their work is distributed by Renaissance and Reformation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. For details, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/.