Gaspara Stampa

Stampa, Gaspara (ca. 1523–1554)

Stampa, Gaspara (ca. 15231554)

Italian poet whose sonnets in the style of Petrarch, dedicated to a largely unrequited love, made her reputation as one of the finest poets of the Italian Renaissance. Born in Padua, she moved to Venice at the age of eight with her mother Cecilia, soon after the death of her father, Bartolomeo Stampa. In Venice, she studied literature and music, and with her sister Cassandra she became an accomplished lute player. Her brother Baldassare was earning some renown as a poet and gathering friends and writers to the family home, which became a popular salon enlivened by music performed by the Stampa sisters. After the death of her brother in 1544, Gaspara continued the salon and she became the center of a literary circle, among whom she earned praise as a poet. Three of her poems were published during her lifetime, but after her death Cassandra collected 311 of her poems into the collection Rime. The poems describe Gaspara's love affair with Count Collaltino de Collato that brought her heartbreak and frustration. Her sonnets took their inspiration from Petrarch and his love for the distant Laura.

See Also: d'Aragona, Tullia; Petrarch; Venice

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Gaspara Stampa

Gaspara Stampa , c.1523-1554, Italian poet. Plunged at an early age into the dissipated life of Venetian society, she became renowned for her brilliance and beauty. Her verse, which recounts an unhappy love affair, reflects her feelings of passionate tenderness and anguish.

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"Gaspara Stampa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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"Gaspara Stampa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Stampa-G.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Gaspara Stampa's Petrarchan commemorations: validating a female lyric...
Magazine article from: Annali d'Italianistica; 1/1/2004
Paradises lost.(Book Review)
Magazine article from: The Women's Review of Books; 7/1/2004
Joining stories of thwarted love.(BOOKS)
Newspaper article from: The Washington Times (Washington, DC); 5/16/2004

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