Date of Award
6-2005
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Medieval Studies
First Advisor
Dr. Robert F. Berkhofer III
Second Advisor
Dr. James Palmitessa
Third Advisor
Dr. Eve Salisbury
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
This thesis examines faction and vendetta in the Diario of Polissena Pioppi, a sixteenth-century Modenese nun. Because Polissena's Diario, an urban chronicle and annotations in the margins of a breviary, contains vendetta narratives and outlines faction, it provides a gendered perspective on honor and vendetta in early modem Italy. Chapter one provides the political context by outlining the circumstances conducive to faction in sixteenth-century Modena while tracing Polissena's background. Chapter two outlines the composition of factions in the Diario based on the families most frequently mentioned by Polissena. Chapter three analyses the vendetta narratives and the pursuance of conflict between the principal factions. The Thesis concludes that vendetta and faction rather than religious status were Polissena's primary concerns while writing her Diario.
Recommended Citation
Madden, Amanda G., "The Diario of Polissena Pioppi: Nuns and Faction in Sixteenth-Century Modena" (2005). Masters Theses. 3748.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3748