History of Art 394.001 TTh 4:00PM-5:30, 180 Tappan Hall Special Topics: Crossing Erotic Boundaries: Representations of Lesbianism in Early Modern Western Europe (3) (Theory) We will examine the varieties of representations of women who desired other women in Western Europe from the 15th-17th centuries. Focusing on England and Italy, with forays into France, Germany, Spain and Holland, we will read early modern texts (poems, drama, opera, mythology, prints, paintings, domestic artifacts, pornography, and medical writing), as well as contemporary theorizing about lesbianism. Charting continuities and discontinuities between early modern conceptions and twentieth century ones, we will investigate the extent to which a coherent history of lesbianism exists. Cost:2 WL:4 (Simons/Traub)

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