Since antiquity, the she-wolf has served as the potent symbol of Rome. For more than two thousand years, the legendary animal that rescued Romulus and Remus has been the subject of historical and political accounts, literary treatments in poetry and prose, and visual representations in every medium. In She-Wolf: The Story of a Roman Icon, Cristina Mazzoni examines the evolution of the she-wolf as a symbol in western history, art, and literature, from antiquity to contemporary times. Used, for example, as an icon of Roman imperial power, papal authority, and the distance between the present and the past, the she-wolf has also served as an allegory for greed, good politics, excessive female sexuality, and, most recently, modern, multi-cultural Rome. Mazzoni engagingly analyzes the various role guises of the she-wolf over time in the first comprehensive study in any language on this subject.

Cristina Mazzoni examines the evolution of the she-wolf as a symbol in western history, art, and literature.

About the Author
Cristina Mazzoni is Professor of Romance Languages at the University of Vermont. In addition to numerous articles in scholarly journals, she is the author of Saint Hysteria, Maternal Impressions, The Voices of Gemma Galgani (with Rudolph Bell), and The Women in God's Kitchen.


Book Information
ISBN 9780521145664
Author Cristina Mazzoni
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 470g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 153mm * 18mm