First published in 1600 in answer to Giusepe Passi's diatribe about women's alleged defects, this polemic displays Lucrezia Marinella's knowledge of the Italian poetic tradition and demonstrates her ability to argue against authors of the misogynist tradition from Boccaccio to Torquato Tasso.

Introduction to the Series by Margaret L. King and Albert Rabil Jr. Acknowledgments Introduction to the Translation by Letizia Panizza with Anne Dunhill The Nobility and Excellence of Women, and the Defects and Vices of Men Part I: The Nobility and Excellence of Women Chapter 1: On the Nobility of the Names Given to the Female Sex Chapter 2: The Causes That Produce Women Chapter 3: Of the Nature and Essence of the Female Sex Chapter 4: The Reasons for Men's Noble Treatment of Women and the Things They Say about Women Chapter 5: Of Women's Noble Actions and Virtues, Which Greatly Surpass Men's, as Will Be Proved by Reasoning and Example Chapter 6: A Reply to the Flippant and Vain Reasoning Adopted by Men in Their Own Favor Part II: The Defects and Vices of Men Chapter 4: Of Wrathful, Eccentric, and Brutal Men Chapter 12: Of Obstinate and Pertinacious Men Chapter 13: Of Ungrateful and Discourteous Men Chapter 14: Of Fickle, Inconstant Men Chapter 15: Of Evil Men Who Hate Others Easily Chapter 22: Of Men Who Are Ornate, Polished, Painted, and Bleached Chapter 30: Of Men Who Kill Their Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, and Grandchildren Bibliography Index