18th century Courtesans

During the 16th century, prostitution was a common profession amongst women China and Italy, particularly Venice. According to Margaret Rosenthal, an active researcher on courtesans, this phenomenon occurred because of the constraints that were put upon women. In both societies, female citizens had little rights compared to their male counterparts. Whether these women belonged to the upper class or lower class, they were highly expected to work within the confines of a family setting as …

…Standford, California: 1997. Otis, Leah Lydia. Prostitution in Medieval Society. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago: 1985. Pan , Margaret Tai-Li. The Attitudes of Taiwan Businessmen Toward Entertaining Girls. New York Publishers, New York: 1973. Rosenthal, Margaret F. The Honest Courtesan: Veronica Franco, Citizen and Writer in Sixteenth Century Venice. University of Chicago Press, Chicago: 1992. Voss, Stephen. Venetian Earth. November 14,2000. http://www.ahtg.net/venetian.html The Extravagant Courtesans of the 16th Century Judy Park Geoff Childer MMW4 22 November 2000