Michael Rocke

A study of male-male sexual activity in later medieval Florence, with a concentration on the period between the 1430s and 1500. Michael Rocke provides a useful collation of case studies and anecdata, but I didn't find the book to be well-structured. It's a bit repetitive, and it shows its age a bit in some of its theoretical assumptions/approaches. Studies of LGBT history have advanced significant in the decades since this was first published. Some utility for those working specifically on show more Florentine/Tuscan history, but I wouldn't say this is a great place for those looking for broader overviews of/introductions to the field of gay history writ large. show less

Rocke presents a detailed study of male culture and same-sex relationships in Renaissance Florence. This book, more than any other single work changed my views on the nature and origin of homosexuality -- although such was not Rocke's purpose.