Witchcraft and Inquisition in Early Modern Venice

Witchcraft and Inquisition in Early Modern Venice
Author: Jonathan Seitz
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2011-08-08
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139501607

In early modern Europe, ideas about nature, God, demons and occult forces were inextricably connected and much ink and blood was spilled in arguments over the characteristics and boundaries of nature and the supernatural. Seitz uses records of Inquisition witchcraft trials in Venice to uncover how individuals across society, from servants to aristocrats, understood these two fundamental categories. Others have examined this issue from the points of view of religious history, the history of science and medicine, or the history of witchcraft alone, but this work brings these sub-fields together to illuminate comprehensively the complex forces shaping early modern beliefs.

The Floating Book

The Floating Book
Author: Michelle Lovric
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 595
Release: 2013-06-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 140884284X

Venice, 1468. Sosia Simeon, a free-spirited sensualist, is the lover of many men in the fabled city, though married to one she despises. On the edge of the Grand Canal, Wendelin von Speyer sets up the first printing press in Venice and looks for the book that will make his fortune. When he tempts fate by publishing Catullus, the poet whose desperate and unrequited love inspired the most tender and erotic poems of antiquity, a scandal is set in motion that will change all their lives forever.

The Madman of Venice

The Madman of Venice
Author: Sophie Masson
Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2010
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0385738439

When he comes to Venice in 1602 to investigate pirate attacks on merchant ships, Master Ashby is entreated to find a Jewish girl who has disappeared from the Venice Ghetto amid a powerful countess's accusations of witchcraft.

Caliban and the Witch

Caliban and the Witch
Author: Silvia Federici
Publisher: Autonomedia
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2004
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1570270597

"Women, the body and primitive accumulation"--Cover.

The Midwife of Venice

The Midwife of Venice
Author: Roberta Rich
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2012-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 145165748X

Not since Anna Diamant’s The Red Tent or Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book has a novel transported readers so intimately into the complex lives of women centuries ago or so richly into a story of intrigue that transcends the boundaries of history. A “lavishly detailed” (Elle Canada) debut that masterfully captures sixteenth-century Venice against a dramatic and poetic tale of suspense. Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers using her secret “birthing spoons.” When a count implores her to attend his dying wife and save their unborn son, she is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but his payment is enough to ransom her husband Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can she refuse her duty to a woman who is suffering? Hannah’s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the child and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life. Told with exceptional skill, The Midwife of Venice brings to life a time and a place cloaked in fascination and mystery and introduces a captivating new talent in historical fiction.

The Prince of Venice Beach

The Prince of Venice Beach
Author: Blake Nelson
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2014-06-03
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0316230472

Robert "'Cali" Callahan is a teen runaway, living on the streets of Venice Beach, California. He's got a pretty sweet life: a treehouse to sleep in, a gang of surf bros, a regular basketball game...even a girl who's maybe-sorta interested in him. What he doesn't have is a plan. All that changes when a local cop refers Cali to a private investigator who is looking for a missing teenager. After all, Cali knows everyone in Venice. But the streets are filled with people who don't want to be found, and when he's hired to find the beautiful Reese Abernathy--who would do anything to stay hidden--Cali enters a new world filled with mysterious characters, dangerous choices, and his first chance at real love.

The Night Battles

The Night Battles
Author: Carlo Ginzburg
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2013-10-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1421409933

A remarkable tale of witchcraft, folk culture, and persuasion in early modern Europe. Based on research in the Inquisitorial archives of Northern Italy, The Night Battles recounts the story of a peasant fertility cult centered on the benandanti, literally, "good walkers." These men and women described fighting extraordinary ritual battles against witches and wizards in order to protect their harvests. While their bodies slept, the souls of the benandanti were able to fly into the night sky to engage in epic spiritual combat for the good of the village. Carlo Ginzburg looks at how the Inquisition's officers interpreted these tales to support their world view that the peasants were in fact practicing sorcery. The result of this cultural clash, which lasted for more than a century, was the slow metamorphosis of the benandanti into the Inquisition's mortal enemies—witches. Relying upon this exceptionally well-documented case study, Ginzburg argues that a similar transformation of attitudes—perceiving folk beliefs as diabolical witchcraft—took place all over Europe and spread to the New World. In his new preface, Ginzburg reflects on the interplay of chance and discovery, as well as on the relationship between anomalous cases and historical generalizations.

A Match Made in Venice

A Match Made in Venice
Author: Leonie Mack
Publisher: Boldwood Books Ltd
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1801623791

'Wonderfully romantic’ Sandy Barker Escape to the breath-taking beauty of Venice – The City of Love. When pragmatic, sensible and resolutely single Deirdre York (Didi to her friends) is sent to Venice for work she is determined not to be taken in by the romantic clichés. Winter in the floating city may be breathtakingly beautiful, but she’s here with a clear purpose and will not let the magic of Venice distract her. Piero Zanetti is the epitome of the handsome yet tortured artist. Heart-broken by the end of his love affair with a glamorous opera singer, he has lost his ability to work, and his inspiration has drained away, along with his zest for life. But Didi needs Piero working – she has been tasked with commissioning him to do a glass centrepiece for a luxury department store display – some how Didi has to cheer Piero up or at least find him a new muse... As Didi and Piero slowly become friends, and as Venice starts to melt Didi’s heart and gently nudge Piero out of the blues, something special begins to happen. Can Venice – the City of Love – work a miracle and help Didi and Piero to find their happiness at last... Leonie Mack is back with the most gloriously romantic escape, perfect for all fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas and Carole Matthews. 'Leonie has written another gorgeous love letter to Italy. She’s fast becoming a favourite of mine with her warm, relatable heroines, beautiful settings and brooding romantic heroes. I cannot wait to return to Venice for Norah’s story.' Sarah Bennett What readers are saying about Leonie Mack: 'I read a lot of romance books and I have to say this book is one of the best in terms of chemistry. Readers - we’re talking red hot!' 'A hot and sizzling read!' 'An uplifting, intelligent novel with a lot of substance and of course, plenty of romance' 'I can't stop thinking about this book!' 'Beautifully written, this is a great take on the opposites attract theme.' 'A delight to read with lots of fun, romance and funny bits along the way.'

The Violinist of Venice

The Violinist of Venice
Author: Alyssa Palombo
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2015-12-15
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1466882638

Like most 18th century Venetians, Adriana d'Amato adores music—except her strict merchant father has forbidden her to cultivate her gift for the violin. But she refuses to let that stop her from living her dreams and begins sneaking out of her family's palazzo under the cover of night to take violin lessons from virtuoso violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi. However, what begins as secret lessons swiftly evolves into a passionate, consuming love affair. Adriana's father is intent on seeing her married to a wealthy, prominent member of Venice's patrician class—and a handsome, charming suitor, whom she knows she could love, only complicates matters—but Vivaldi is a priest, making their relationship forbidden in the eyes of the Church and of society. They both know their affair will end upon Adriana's marriage, but she cannot anticipate the events that will force Vivaldi to choose between her and his music. The repercussions of his choice—and of Adriana's own choices—will haunt both of their lives in ways they never imagined. Spanning more than 30 years of Adriana's life, Alyssa Palombo's The Violinist of Venice is a story of passion, music, ambition, and finding the strength to both fall in love and to carry on when it ends.