Birth of Venus
Discuss progression of her life as parallel to change in Florentine Streets (pull in art and religion/rules of society in order to examine the similarities) (also note how in end when Savonarola’s reign ends, Florence is better and life is better)
Marriage/love art religion
Quotes:
The City of Florence:
During her youth:
Page 52: Lorenzo’s death put the city out of sorts in many ways.
Page 85: And when soldiers are at war, they are not citizens, only mercenaries, and young virgins are most at risk. You will go to a convent…What if I were married? No longer a virgin, and with the protection of a husband? I would be safe then.
Page 113 (Right before marriage): It felt as if my life were running out like the sands in an hourglass and there would soon be no time unaccounted for.
Page 173: I had been so sheltered in my parents’ home I had never seen a public execution….Anyway, despite the sweetness of my sex, I was indeed curious…
Page 222: When I was a child it had all seeped so simple. There had been one God, who…had enough love to keep me warm at night when I spoke to him directly….This God was so obsessed with the Devil that He seemed to have no time for beauty or wonder, and all of our knowledge and art was condemned as just another place for evil to hide….I no longer knew which God was the true one…
During her marriage/with her husband: (love)
Page 30: (Mother) Your duty to the family. Your father is a rich man now, with a record of public service to the state. He has money for a dowry that will bring our name much honor and prestige. When he finds the right man, you will marry him. Is that clear? It is the greatest thing a woman can do, marry and have children.
Page 101: (Before Marriage) Would I too be saying things like this when I was married? I stared at my fleshy, happy sister in a kind of horror. She knew so much more than I did. How could I ever get around to asking her?
Page 109: I thought the point of marriage was that it allowed us
Marriage/love art religion
Quotes:
The City of Florence:
During her youth:
Page 52: Lorenzo’s death put the city out of sorts in many ways.
Page 85: And when soldiers are at war, they are not citizens, only mercenaries, and young virgins are most at risk. You will go to a convent…What if I were married? No longer a virgin, and with the protection of a husband? I would be safe then.
Page 113 (Right before marriage): It felt as if my life were running out like the sands in an hourglass and there would soon be no time unaccounted for.
Page 173: I had been so sheltered in my parents’ home I had never seen a public execution….Anyway, despite the sweetness of my sex, I was indeed curious…
Page 222: When I was a child it had all seeped so simple. There had been one God, who…had enough love to keep me warm at night when I spoke to him directly….This God was so obsessed with the Devil that He seemed to have no time for beauty or wonder, and all of our knowledge and art was condemned as just another place for evil to hide….I no longer knew which God was the true one…
During her marriage/with her husband: (love)
Page 30: (Mother) Your duty to the family. Your father is a rich man now, with a record of public service to the state. He has money for a dowry that will bring our name much honor and prestige. When he finds the right man, you will marry him. Is that clear? It is the greatest thing a woman can do, marry and have children.
Page 101: (Before Marriage) Would I too be saying things like this when I was married? I stared at my fleshy, happy sister in a kind of horror. She knew so much more than I did. How could I ever get around to asking her?
Page 109: I thought the point of marriage was that it allowed us