The ugly woman

"Italian poetry of the pre-modern era provided the Western canon with enduring models of feminine beauty, such as Dante's Beatrice and Petrarch's Laura. Yet there exists in Italian poetry from the Middle Ages to the Baroque a large number of works that focus on the figure of the 'ugly woman.' This book examines the prevalence and significance of depictions of unattractive women in these works, and how certain women in these works, and how certain negative stereotypes served as a means of defining woman as 'other.'" "The Ugly Woman examines a topic which has been largely neglected and makes a valuable contribution to Italian studies, literary history, and women's studies."--book jacket.