Advising on Women’s Conduct in Renaissance Paratexts

Some paratexts written by male authors and editors during the Italian Renaissance could be intended to give counsel on women’s conduct. Advice was offered directly, in prefaces, for instance, that suggested how works by Boccaccio should be read, or less explicitly, especially through letters of dedication addressed to women. These women could be portrayed as embodiments of virtues and connoisseurs of culture, and thus as living paragons of good conduct that female readers could attempt to emulate.