Arms and the Woman Classical Tradition and Women Writers in the Venetian Renaissanceampampnbspby Francesca DAlessandro Behr focuses on the classical reception in the works of female authors active in Venice during the Early Modern Age. Even in this relatively liberal city women had restricted access to education and were subject to deepseated cultural prejudices but those who read and wrote were able in part to overcome those limitations. ampampnbsp In this study Behr explores the work of Moderata Fonte and Lucrezia Marinella and demonstrates how they used knowledge of texts by Virgil Ovid and Aristotle to systematically reanalyze the biased patterns apparent both in the romance epic genre and contemporary society. Whereas these classical texts were normally used to bolster the belief in female inferiority and the status quo Fonte and Marinella used them to envision societies structured according to new egalitarian ethics. Reflecting on the humanist representation of virtue Fonte and Marinella insisted on the importance of peace mercy and education for women. These authors took up the theme of the equality of genders and participated in the Renaissanceampampnbspquerelle des femmesampampnbsppromoting womens capabilities and nature. ampampnbsp