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Laura Purkey Mrs. Kuhn

The Birth of Venus Although Sarah Dunant's novel //The Birth of Venus// takes place over 500 years ago and societal expectations and norms are very different from today's civilization, the drama is relatable. Dunant's focal character, Alessandra, is a teenage girl growing up in the Italian Renaissance, and unlike others in her time, she is educated and wants to pursue her passion, art. Her marriage to an older man threatens to ruin this dream, but when it is revealed he is homosexual, she keeps his secret in exchange for freedom to paint. Dunant conveys both the depth of Alessandra's despair, having to live with a husband who will never love her, and her harmful obsession with art. She begins to see her family's painter for art lessons. They struggle being together, trying to keep their meetings a secret. However, their love of art brings them closer and allows them to perceive things they could not before. In a time of betrayals, death, and religious crime, Alessandra and the painter discover and new canvas--true love. Dunant sculpts her own masterpiece with her portrayal of the life of a girl who tries to break free from the norms when this was entirely unacceptable and shameful.