The contest for knowledge : debates over women's learning in eighteenth-century Italy / Maria Gaetana Agnesi [and others] ; edited and translated by Rebecca Messbarger and Paula Findlen ; with an introduction by Rebecca Messbarger
Giuseppa Eleonora Barbapiccola -- The Academy of the Ricovrati -- Aretafila Savini de' Rossi -- Maria Gaetana Agnesi -- Diamante Medaglia Faini
Summary
At a time when women were generally excluded from scholarly discourse in the intellectual centers of Europe, four extraordinary female letterate proved their parity as they lectured in prominent scientific and literary academies and published in respected journals. During the Italian Enlightenment, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Giuseppa Eleonora Barbapiccola, Diamante Medaglia Faini, and Aretafila Savini de' Rossi were afforded unprecedented deference in academic debates and epitomized the increasing ability of women to influence public discourse. The Contest for Knowledge reveals how these four women