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Topic: Courtesan


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In the News (Sun 15 Nov 09)

  
  Savannah Smiles - Courtesan
In a memorable scene from Colette's novel Gigi, the daughter of a courtesan is carefully taught to tell the difference between a canary diamond and topaz; a cocotte's cache of gems served both as an emblem of success and as a fund for her retirement.
Except among courtesans, if a woman had wealth, it was almost never her own, but hers to use only through the beneficence, permission, or parsimonious allowance of a father, brother, or husband.
But just as surely as the role of the courtesan was created by historical conditions, she was also inextricably linked to a historical mood that had come to an end by the third decade of the last century.
www.mssavannahsmiles.com /Courtesan.html   (3869 words)

  
 Icqurimage Electronic magazine: A brief history of the Courtesan
Courtesans were frequently patrons of the arts, fashion, language and music, and naturally excelled in political intrigue and in the erotic arts.
Marilyn Monroe was the consummate Hollywood courtesan of her day, and became the leading light of her era despite being a bleached blonde “bombshell” from the wrong side of town, and an illegitimate child of an insane mother and a nomadic father.
Courtesans occupy the corridors of power of Washington, Paris and London as they have always done, but the age of modern media means that their skills are often better directed towards the silver screens of Hollywood, the catwalks of the Fashion World, and within the all pervading medium of television.
icqurimage.com /Magazine/courtesan.html   (7175 words)

  
 Bookreporter.com - IN THE COMPANY OF THE COURTESAN by Sarah Dunant
The story begins in Rome, where invading soldiers and Protestants (it is the dawn of the Reformation) are sacking the city; thanks to Fiammetta's wit and boldness, she and her dwarfish companion escape with their lives --- and a few large jewels --- to her birthplace, Venice.
Once there is food enough in one's stomach what else is there to do in life?" His account of the courtesan as a sort of Renaissance entrepreneur shows Fiammetta's work (and his, as the watchdog, errand boy, entertainer, and financial manager of her household) to be a fascinating mix of theatricality and psychology.
"Like most good courtesans," he writes, "she is adept at living with two sets of feelings: the ones she has and the ones she pretends to have to humour her clients.
www.bookreporter.com /reviews2/1400063817.asp   (725 words)

  
  Gregory Youtz - Compositions - The Courtesan: Six Songs on Poems of Yu Hsuan-chi   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
The Courtesan: Six Songs on Poems of Yu Xuanji is a setting of poems by one of China's premiere woman poets.
Born in 843 A.D. during the Tang dynasty- the golden age of Chinese poetry, Yu was a highly educated and talented courtesan, respected by literary society for her intensely personal poetry.
During her short life, she was variously and sometimes simultaneously a Taoist nun, a courtesan, a concubine and a poet.
www.plu.edu /~youtzgl/pieces/courtesan.html   (219 words)

  
 The Courtesan's Arts   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
However, the courtesans' voices and contribution have been all but erased by the nationalist bourgeois reform movement, leaving few sources beyond early recordings, reminiscences by their patrons and musicians, and the conflicted careers of a few women who could adapt themselves to the modern concert stage.
No wonder the courtesan elicited so much deeply ambivalent attention at the end of the renaissance: she embodied some of the greatest desires and fears of the late renaissance and thus cast a shadow, long and broad, across the imagination of the age.
Courtesans, whose business in life is to dance in the temples and at public ceremonies, and prostitutes, are the only women who are allowed to learn, to read, sing or dance.î So observed Abbe Dubois, a French missionary who lived and worked in India for 31 years, from 1792 to 1823.
music.uchicago.edu /html/courtesan/abstracts.html   (4581 words)

  
 Defining the Courtesan
Courtesans were at the top of the prostitutional hierarchy.
This idea was abhorrent to some women and so, not wanting to leave the comfort of their lifestyle would simply turn to a life that would allow them to continue on as they had without the confines of a husband.
Some women chose the life of a courtesan in order to cultivate their minds which they usually, were they not independent, were meant to keep dormant.
www.mtholyoke.edu /courses/rschwart/hist255-s01/courtesans/defining-the-courtesan.htm   (246 words)

  
 Courtesan Procession in the Snow
This scene depicts a courtesan and her two kamuro (pre-adolescent attendants) walking through the snow.
A manservant, likely an employee of the brothel to which the courtesan was indentured, shelters them with a large parasol.
The figure dressed in fl is one of the courtesan's clients.
www.dartmouth.edu /~arth17/Courtesan.html   (242 words)

  
 Cross-cultural conference on “The Courtesan’s Arts” at the University of Chicago
Courtesan cultures have emerged powerfully in various times and places, often generating antagonisms and debate in environments where sexual politics have been highly charged.
In recent years, scholars have begun exploring the history of courtesans in particular contexts but without the dialogues necessary to reveal the underlying conditions under which courtesan cultures have thrived and transformed.
Included will be public talks, a performance of courtesans' music from Renaissance Italy by the Newberry Consort, a lecture-demonstration on courtesans’ dances of North India by the Chitresh Das Dance Company, a panel discussion on geisha in today’s world, and a concluding round-table discussion.
www-news.uchicago.edu /releases/02/020328.courtesan.shtml   (563 words)

  
 Nicole Blackman's Courtesan Tales
's Courtesan Tales is billed as a one-person show performed for an audience of one, but in reality, there are always at least two people involved besides Ms.
The Courtesan Tales are a terrific experience and a great concept that blur the boundaries between art, erotica, storytelling, healing arts, performance, and sex work.
Viewed (so to speak) without cynicism, the Courtesan Tales are a form of sensual performance art with the power to temporarily liberate a person from his- or herself and feel things in entirely new ways.
www.corporatemofo.com /stories/031019courtesan.htm   (684 words)

  
 Courtesan power
Part of a courtesan’s mystery and intrigue was that the boundary between her and a noblewoman was murky.
Courtesans were encouraged to stand topless on the Ponte Della Tette, or Bridge of Tits, as it’s still known today, to entice and convert suspected gays.
The most distinguished courtesan and the “cleverest manipulator” of ancient Greece was Phryne, rumored to be the model for the sculpture of Venus.
pages.prodigy.net /mellocello/Courtesan_1.html   (1739 words)

  
 ReadingGroupGuides.com - In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the unthinkable happened and the Holy Roman Emperor's army blew a hole in the wall of God's eternal city, letting in a flood of half-starved, half-crazed troops bent on pillage and punishment.
Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid.
A story of desire and deception, sin and religion, loyalty and friendship, In the Company of the Courtesan paints a portrait of one of the world's greatest cities at its most potent moment in history: It is a picture that remains vivid long after the final page.
www.readinggroupguides.com /guides3/in_company_of_courtesan1.asp   (608 words)

  
 National Gallery of Art - Van Gogh's Van Goghs: Courtesan (News Release)
The nineteenth-century woodblock print by Keisai Eisen depicting a high-ranking courtesan (oiran) was reproduced in reverse on the cover of Paris Illustré, in a special edition entitled "Le Japon" (May 1886).
The Courtesan is not merely a copy of Eisen's "Oiran" but a composed picture, combining several motifs borrowed from other Japanese prints.
The Courtesan is one of three paintings by Van Gogh, now in the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, that the artist copied from Japanese prints late in his Paris period.
www.nga.gov /press/1998/courtpr.htm   (1064 words)

  
 Powell's Books - In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel by Sarah Dunant
Follow the storyteller, a dwarf who accompanies the courtesan in her flight from a ravaged Rome, on his journey from refugee to merchant prince (or high-class pimp, anyway).
Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid.
Dunant's characters — the steely courtesan whose glimpse of true love nearly brings her to ruin; the shrewd and passionate dwarf who turns his abnormalities into triumph; and the healer whose mysterious powers and secrets leave an indelible mark on the duo — are irresistible throughout their shifting fortunes."
www.powells.com /cgi-bin/biblio?show=Hardcover:New:1400063817:16.76   (1441 words)

  
 Dangerous Beauty (1998)   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
A Venetian courtesan becomes a hero to her city, but later becomes the target of an inquisition by the Church for witchcraft.
Courtesan / 1500s / Renaissance / Inquisition / Italy more
Rated R for some scenes of strong sexuality, and for nudity and language.
us.imdb.com /title/tt0118892   (385 words)

  
 Definition of courtesan - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Learn more about "courtesan" and related topics at Britannica.com
Find more about "courtesan" instantly with Live Search
See a map of "courtesan" in the Visual Thesaurus
www.m-w.com /cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=courtesan   (69 words)

  
 ReadingGroupGuides.com - The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan by Marisol
According to a Latin American proverb, in order for a woman to discover her power over men, she must learn to be a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen, and a courtesan in the bedroom.
After perfecting the grace and elegance of each, a woman will ultimately understand her own potential in life, and the command she has over everyone around her, including herself.
Weaving together the story of a modern woman with that of a grandmother's time-honored traditions, The Lady, the Chef, and the Courtesan is a compelling novel of history, seduction, love -- and what it truly means to be a woman.
www.readinggroupguides.com /guides3/lady_chef_courtesan1.asp   (391 words)

  
 The modern courtesan - Salon   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
Harriman, who eventually became the U.S. ambassador to France (and died swimming in the rooftop pool of the Paris Ritz in 1997), began her training as a courtesan at age 19 with her first marriage, to Randolph Churchill, Winston's son.
What made her a courtesan was the number and type of people she was involved with, and the technique, skill and talent that she brought to every endeavor, says Ogden.
With all due respect to Morris, Harriman's husband Hayward called Harriman "the courtesan of the century." Born into poverty and an illegitimate child, Luce married millionaire George Brokaw at age 19 after impressing a mutual acquaintance.
dir.salon.com /sex/feature/2000/11/16/courtesan_2/index.html?pn=2   (753 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Courtesan: A Novel: Books: Dora Levy Mossanen   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
Gabrielle sets upon Cyrus, a handsome Persian jeweler, and Simone is intrigued by the man who supplies only the rarest diamonds to the shah's court ("Was the origin of red diamonds the blood of mistreated diggers, the blazing eyes of dragons guarding illicit mines, or the tears of children forced into hard labor?" she wonders).
While part of COURTESAN focuses on the mystery of the red diamonds and Cyrus's disappearance and probable murder, the other important theme is the family origins of the Honore' family.
COURTESAN's protagonists are three women from three different generations: Madame Gabrielle, the matriarch and grandmother of the d'Honore family; Gabrielle's daughter, Francoise; and Simone, Francoise's daughter.
www.amazon.com /Courtesan-Novel-Dora-Levy-Mossanen/dp/0743246780   (2836 words)

  
 Venice and Volpone
A courtesan is a type of upper-class prostitute, renowned for her extreme beauty and lavish clothing.
As you can see, courtesans were not too bad off--some of them had so much wealth that they were the equivalent to royalty.
Because of the lavish stylings of the courtesans, it is easy to see how Lady Would-be, an English tourist who strives to be something she is not, finds them fascinating.
virtual.park.uga.edu /cdesmet/jason/court.htm   (287 words)

  
 'In the Company of the Courtesan,' by Sarah Dunant - New York Times
Her latest novel, "In the Company of the Courtesan," explores this upheaval via the story of a fictitious 16th-century Venetian courtesan, Fiammetta Bianchini, whom we see through the eyes of a dwarf named Bucino.
Upon her arrival, Fiammetta discovers that her mother, also once a famous courtesan, has died painfully, "rotted away with diseases given to her by a hundred different men," while Fiammetta and Bucino were making their fortune in Rome.
Out of these elements, Dunant conjures the story of a young and beautiful courtesan (21 when the book begins), her lovers, her dwarf, her dearest friend and the self-reflecting Venice that was still La Serenissima.
www.nytimes.com /2006/03/12/books/review/12jong.html?ex=1299819600&en=883927337dc75c84&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss   (1034 words)

  
 [No title]
Celebrated as a courtesan and poet, and as a woman of great intelligence and wit, Tullia d'Aragona (1510–56) entered the debate about the morality of love that engaged the best and most famous male intellects of sixteenth-century Italy.
Clinia has returned from Asia and is in the house of Clitipho with Bacchis, a courtesan beloved by Clitipho but who is pretending to be Clinia's mistress while Antiphila pretends to be her maid.
Thus the value of noble birth is affirmed, and the courtesan is denigrated.
www.lycos.com /info/courtesan--woman.html   (682 words)

  
 CMA Special Exhibitions : The Courtesan Takigawa of the Ogiya
Takigawa was one of the most beautiful courtesans of the Ogiya, “House of Fans” brothel, one of the most prestigious in the Yoshiwara.
She may have been a courtesan in the Gion, Kyotos liscened brothel district.
His interest in the accurate portrayal of subjects was recognized by a Kyoto physician who commissioned him to create anatomical drawings for a medical book published in 1797.
www.clevelandart.org /exhibcef/visions/html/4402976.html   (304 words)

  
 Tower Records - Courtesan - The New York Room   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
Courtesan features the talents of 5 beautiful female voices and fans of the Hope Blister, This Mortal Coil, and even Massive Attack, should find much to enjoy here.
As a whole, The New York Room's Courtesan is a solid ethereal/darkwave offering that, despite its stylistic diversity, is fairly consistent and impressive.
From its beautiful ethereal opener through an array of moody darkwave, airy ethereal tracks, mellow trip-hop, and more, the disc is interesting and emotive but never redundant.
www.towerrecords.com /product.aspx?pfid=CDB0932110032   (609 words)

  
 USATODAY.com - 'Courtesan' seduces with beauty and beast   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-03)
Facing the army is a lovely, wealthy, clever 21-year-old courtesan named Fiammetta, whose chief patron is a powerful cardinal, and her dwarf, Bucino.
Dunant's Courtesan is original because Bucino possesses a singular perspective and a distinctive, world-weary tone.
The minutiae involved in launching Fiammetta as a Venetian courtesan reads like a mixture of Horatio Alger, Victoria's Secret and Renaissance scholarship: the clothing, the shoes, the gondola, the servants, the subtle advertising, the lavish furnishings, the need to create mystery, the clients, the food and drink.
www.usatoday.com /life/books/reviews/2006-02-13-courtesan_x.htm   (453 words)

  
 In the Company of the Courtesan - book club reading suggestions
Fiammetta is a celebrated courtesan, who has been trained from birth to charm, entertain and sexually satisfy the men who are wealthy enough to afford her.
Although both her beauty and her spirit are almost destroyed by Fiammetta's experiences on the run, she eventually recovers thanks to Bucino's devotion and to the medicines supplied to her by a mysterious blind healer called La Draga.
Soon she is once again a much sought after courtesan and the fortunes of this incongruous pair are on the rise until they are faced with challenges from unexpected quarters.
www.book-club.co.nz /books06/InTheCompanyOfTheCourtesan.htm   (339 words)

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