Laura Cereta’s work demonstrates that the
humanist movement
was alive and well in Brescia during her lifetime. An enthusiastic student
of Latin, Greek, philosophy, mathematics, astrology, religion, and other
topics, Cereta was “both a pious Christian and a humanist,” (Rabil 1981,
7) often referencing the church fathers alongside Classical authors. In
her longest work, the Dialogue on the Funeral of a Donkey, she
mines for unusual
vocabulary, draws heavily on the natural science of
, and adapts Stoic
techniques of consolation from
to a new setting, while
relying on for knowledge
of the ancient philosophical schools.
Learn more about Cereta's
Oration on the Funeral of a Donkey here.