Georgian Fangirls: Women, Castrati, and Gender in Late 18th Century London with Jeffrey Nigro

This presentation will focus on the relationships between two late-18th century castrati and the women who admired them: that of Gaspare Pacchierotti with the novelist Frances Burney and her sister, the diarist Susan Burney Phillips; and that of Luigi Marchesi with the visual artist Maria Hadfield Cosway. By studying these relationships, we have an opportunity to treat fandom, and especially women’s fandom, with the respect it deserves.