Humanism and Prophecy: for a Reading of the Epistolae Familiares by Laura Cereta (1469-1499)

Abstract

The article analyses the relationship between gender and the sacred in the prophetic elements of Cereta’s Epistolae Familiares. The author’s letters of autobiography, political engagement and reform of customs are considered by relating them to Savonarola’s influence and the writings of Birgitta of Sweden and, in particular, the language and rhetorical strategies of Catherine of Siena.

Keywords

• laura cereta
• brescia
• savonarola
• catherine of siena
• prophecy