Rhetoric Review Apr 2004

The Radical Rhetoric of Caterina da Siena

Cheryl Forbes

Abstract

Abstract The elusive and enigmatic Catherine of Siena was a woman ahead of her time, the first woman writer in the Italian literary tradition of women writers. A consummate letter writer, she wrote with extraordinary power and bluntness to the political and religious leaders of her day, as well as to ordinary citizens. Not only was she a savvy rhetorician and radical thinker, but she used an androgynous rhetoric that helps to answer why she attracted so large a following during her life, why high and low alike sought her advice, and why her letters and prayers remain so intriguing today.

Journal
Rhetoric Review
Published
2004-04-01
DOI
10.1207/s15327981rr2302_2
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism gender and writing
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References (13)

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  3. Caterina da Siena. The Prayers of Catherine of Siena, 2nd ed. Ed. and trans. Suzanne Noffke. San Jose: Author…
  4. Devoto, Giacomo. "Studio su Caterina da Siena" (1941). Studi di Stilistica. Firenze, Italy, 1950. 219-44.
  5. Getto, Giovanni. "L'intuizione Mistica e L'espressione letteraria di Caterina da Siena" (1939). Letteratura R…
Show all 13 →
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    Annali d'Italianistica: Women Mystic Writers. Ed. Dino S. Cervigni.
  2. O'Driscoll, Mary, ed. Catherine of Siena: Passion for the Truth, Compassion for Humanity, Selected Spiritual …
  3. Papka Claudia Rattazzi (1995)
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    Annali d'Italianistica: Women Mystic Writers. Ed. Dino S. Cervigni.
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CrossRef global citation count: 3 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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