Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Naples's Language of Commerce

The Rover's culture of commerce is organized within two categories: transactions of material and bodily goods.  The buying and selling of both is determined by male desire.  This results in trade that is either consensual, as in the case of Angellica's prostitution, or forced, unwanted marriage and the attempted rapes of Florinda.  The language of commerce is the primary cause of the victimization of women and it enables a pervasive marketplace atmosphere sustained by male dominance and desire.  Can we suggest that this language is subversive?  Does it in a way normalize commerce as a mode for human interactions, in particular, relationships between men and women?  And why does this result in the victimization of women as material goods?

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