Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
- Published by: Oxford University Press, USA March 5, 1998
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0195122925
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0195122923
-
Book Dimensions:
9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
- Weighs: 1.3 pounds
From Library Journal
From the fiery sermons of Bernadino of Siena, Savanarola, as well as from general gossip, modern students of 15th-century Italy have long suspected that Florence witnessed a great amount of sodomy. Rocke, an independent scholar teaching in Florence, persuasively demonstrates that "homosexual behavior constituted a pervasive and integral part of male sexual experience, of the construction of male sexual identity, and forms of sociability." Using the city's rich judicial records, especially those of the Office of the Night, a magistracy set up to root out sodomy, Rocke shows that between 1432 and 1502 perhaps 17,000 men?or one in two in a total population of about 40,000?came to the attention of civil authorities for homosexual acts. Rocke presents a careful and nuanced appreciation of language and concepts of gender and sexual roles, but a solid conclusion would have further strengthened his case. The value of this highly important study rests on the book's lucid prose and its learned contribution to our understanding of human, or at least Western, sexuality.?Bennett D. Hill, Georgetown Univ., Washington D.C.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, George Armstrong
Much of this book's content is statistical but served up in often elegant, never ponderous, prose. At times, the reader may think that he or she has seen a particular slab of statistics scroll past the eyes more than once. But just when the reader fears drowning in stats, damn stats, Rocke tosses out a life preserver of witty comment to entice the reader to move on.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reader Reviews
Michael Rocke's tome on male culture and sexuality in Renaissance Florence is a tremendous work that provides exceptional insight into male sexuality. After reading this, only the most obdurate student of gay life and history could fail to attain a more significant understanding of the present-day forces that seek to quash gays and their efforts for equality under the law. Rocke's careful research of 15th- and 16th-century documents unequivocably shows that if not most, quite nearly a mjority of Florentine males at the time had sex at least once with another male. The significance of such a finding should not be missed. Present day gays roll their eyes whenever they encounter the supposition that a person can "be made gay" or "converted" to being gay because of the firm belief that one's sexuality is predominantly innate. But after reading Rocke's book, one can't help but see how males that today would undoubtedly be identified as heterosexual had freely enjoyed sex with other males. The significance of this, however, should not be interpreted to mean that one's sexuality is entirely a choice. It does, however, provide an understanding of why some homophobes fear gays. The Dominican cleric Savonarola's rhetoric in the war he waged against sodomy in Florence provides a historical background as well for understanding the position of today's Religious Right and its stance against gays. Savonarola figures heavily in Rocke's book and the author provides wonderful detail on the political machinations of the time, a politic that essentially recognized the need to publicly take a stand against sodomy, but in practicality often lacked the nerve to do what was necessary to rid the city of "this vice." Anyone interested in the history surrounding gays and homosexuality is strongly urged to add this title to their list.
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