ABSTRACT
In the Renaissance, exemplary women were used to represent specific models of behaviour for women. During the fifteenth century exemplars moved out of their original setting in the catalogues and entered into a number of different literary genres. In particular, they featured in the Italian querelle des femmes, and were used to support the defence of the female sex. Famous women featured as models of behaviour, illustrating ethical values and inspiring imitation, particularly in sixteenth-century pedagogy. The use of exemplary women in female instruction was the object of lengthy discussions in the Renaissance. The Dominican Giovanni Dominici seems to be the first theorist to tackle the use of these figures—in this case, saints—for pedagogical purposes. Female exemplars representing learning were often used to promote unusual roles for women. Writers such as Vives and Dolce failed to confront the conflict between the revolutionary values embodied in these heroines and the educational message they were attempting to get across.
