Enhancing the Research on Sophistry in the Renaissance

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Enhancing the Research on Sophistry in the Renaissance Enhancing the Research on Sophistry in the Renaissance Teodoro Katinis Abstract: This contribution introduces the proceedings of The idea of two conferences was shaped on the structure the international conference The Sophistic Renaissance: of my two-year research project that aimed to analyze the Authors, Texts, Interpretations held in Venice on Septem- works of Sperone Speroni degli Alvarotti (Padua 1500– ber 26th, 2016 as part of my Marie Skłodowska-Curie pro- 1588), his re-evaluation of ancient sophistic perspectives and ject Sperone Speroni (1500-1588) and the Rebirth of their legacy in the early modern age. Speroni was one of the Sophistry in the Italian Renaissance at Ca’ Foscari Uni- most important protagonists of the Renaissance debate on versity (2015-2016). This introduction briefly presents the language and logic as well as civil and speculative philoso- status quaestionis and the essays collected herein, dis- phy. Educated as an Aristotelian, he eventually developed a cusses the challenges scholars encounter while exploring distinctive philosophy and was the first to challenge Plato’s the legacy of ancient sophists in early modern culture, and condemnation of sophists. Starting with a focus on Speroni, addresses some promising lines of research for deepening the project proposed an analysis of the 15th-century Latin some aspects of the subject in the future. sources, such as Leonardo Bruni and Marsilio Ficino among others, and the exploration of the debate over sophistry in the Keywords: Sophistry, Latin Renaissance, vernacular Italian 16th-century authors, such as Torquato Tasso, Jacopo Renaissance. Mazzoni, and Gabriele Comanini.3 Considering that Latin lit- erature was the first involved in the rebirth of sophistic tradi- tions, I intended to focus the first conference more on Latin 1. Introduction authors and texts and the second conference more on vernacu- lar literatures. That said, I intended to put no strict boundary The collection of essays we publish in this issue of Phi- between the two kinds of literature, which was clearly the losophical Readings presents the results of the work done spirit of Eric MacPhail’s keynote address (Indiana University by scholars gathered for the conference The Sophistic Bloomington), followed by Lodi Nauta (University of Gron- Renaissance: Authors, Texts, Interpretations, which I or- ingen) – who preferred not to publish his contribution – Leo ganized in Venice. The meeting was held at Ca’ Foscari Catana (University of Copenhagen), and Marco Munarini University in Venice, in the splendid Aula Baratto on (University of Padua). The keynote speaker for the second part September 26, 2016, with the support of the Department of the conference was Marc van der Poel (Radboud Univer- of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage. I intended to orga- sity), followed by Stefano Gulizia (independent scholar), Jorge nize this conference as the closure event of the first year Ledo (University of Basel), and myself with some Closing of my Marie Skłodowska-Curie project Sperone Speroni Remarks. The conference ended with a Discussion Session in (1500-1588) and the Rebirth of Sophistry in the Italian which the following discussants had the role of kindling the Renaissance at Ca’ Foscari University.1 This was meant debate: Eugene Afonasin (Novosibirsk University), Christo- to be the first of two conferences. I scheduled the second pher Celenza (Johns Hopkins University), Glenn Most (SNS one to be held in 2017, at the end of my research project, Pisa), Carlo Natali (Ca’ Foscari University Venice), and Luigi with the aim of summarizing the most important scholarly Perissinotto (Ca’ Foscari University Venice) – who unfortu- results in the exploration of sophistry in the Latin and nately could not attend the Conference. This collection of es- vernacular Renaissance. I also intended to trace the pos- says also includes the contribution of Elisa Bacchi (University siblities of research development in the field over the next of Pisa - Ghent University). years. This second conference was never realized since The main aim of the Conference was to explore the in- my current appointment at Ghent University brought my fluence and diffusion of ancient sophistic traditions in Marie Skłodowska-Curie project to an early end. early-modern Europe, fostering an interdisciplinary dis- According to my knowledge, there has never been a cussion among scholars and enhancing a new network for conference on such a subject. Indeed, although the soph- future interdisciplinary collaboration. The participants ex- ists have been the subject of important international meet- amined the ancient sophists’ legacy, translations and in- ings, none of them have focused on the presence of an- terpretations of their works in a span of time from the be- cient sophists in 15th and 16th-century European literature, ginning of the 15th century to the first part of the 16th cen- which is paradoxical when one considers that the ancient tury, and crossing paths with philosophical traditions such sophists were reborn in this period - a time when other as Platonism and Neo-Platonism, as well as major turns in ancient traditions, such as Platonism, Aristotelianism and European history, such as the Reformation and Counter- Skepticism, encountered great fortune as well.2 Reformation. I believe the results published in this collec- tion of essays are an important contribution towards fill- Ghent University Philosophical Readings XI.2 (2019), pp. 58-62. Ghent, Belgium DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.2554100 email: [email protected] ENHANCING THE RESEARCH ON SOPHISTRY IN THE RENAISSANCE ing the gap in international scholarship and enhancing re- and we can count on several studies.6 Indeed, as it results search in the field. also from these proceedings, the rebirth of sophistry and the debate over it seems to be particularly vivid and rich in the Italian environment, so that we can expect further 2. A brief status quaestionis discoveries on Italian authors and texts. Important achievements have been reached also for the Spanish lit- The scholarship on ancient sophists in the Renaissance is erature thanks to Merkl’s studies on the reception of Pro- relatively recent and, before presenting the papers in these tagoras of Abdera, through Marsilio Ficino’s translations proceedings, it might be useful to recall the studies that and commentaries on Plato, in Miguel de Cervantes.7 But have focused on this subject or have been relevant for the we still lack explorations of other vernacular contexts. development of current and future studies. Several scholars have warned not to consider sophis- One could be tempted to include the study or the so- try as a uniform movement, or, in other words, they have phistic legacy in the contiguous field of the history of suggested working on each specific sophist respecting his rhetoric, but this would be misleading for our understand- identity and the specificities of his work and thought. ing of the specificity of the transmission and reinterpreta- Since the 19th century, thanks to tools like the collection tion of the sophists and their works throughout the West- of sophistic fragments published by Diels and Kranz, this ern tradition, a specificity that Eric MacPhail’s pioneering is not a difficult task anymore, and although we can still monograph The Sophistic Renaissance (which clearly in- recognize some general common aspects in the authors of spired this conference title) preserved very well. The first both the First and Second Sophistic (as the two major pe- feature of the sophists is that they not only use speech as a riods of the ancient sophistry are called) we also can means of persuasion, but they also imply powerful phi- clearly see the specificity of each source. For the authors losophical approaches which are definitely rejected by the of the Renaissance that was not an easy task, since some two main streams of Western tradition (i.e. Platonism and of their major sources for knowledge of the sophists, i.e. Aristotelianism), but embraced and used by other alterna- Plato and Aristotle, tend to identify the nature of sophistry tive philosophies (i.e. Skepticism). (or the sophist as a kind, for example in Plato’s Sophist) MacPhail’s book, published in 2011, has been the only rather than the specificity of each sophist. I think the Hy- extended study available on the rebirth of sophistry in dra, as a metaphor of sophistry, as it is presented in early-modern European literature with a focus on Latin Plato’s dialogue Euthydemus (297c–d), expresses quite authors, in particular the humanists and Erasmus, and well this ambivalent identity of sophistry, which is one of French literature, in particular Montaigne and Rabelais. the reasons why I chose Antonio del Pollaiolo’s painting Without summarizing MacPhail’s well-known mono- Hercules and the Hydra (c. 1475) as the icon of our con- graph, it is worth recalling that it not only collects and ference: sophists are many different individuals who share discusses the fortune of ancient sources in the Renais- important features, for example the use of rhetoric as a sance, but also explores their reinterpretation in new powerful mean of persuasion, but also keep their own forms not always immediately recognizable, for example identity, which allows us, for example, to call both Pro- the use of rhetoric to destroy rhetoric in Michel de Mon- tagoras of Abdera and Gorgias of Leontini ‘sophists’ but taigne’s Essays, which is a topos that goes back to the with a full awareness of their deep differences. It is not conflict between Socrates and the sophists in Plato’s dia- my intention to deepen this aspect of the subject, which is logues. In other terms, MacPhail’s study adopts an his- a task for specialists of ancient sophistic literature consid- torical approach, but also suggests research directions ered by itself and before its impact on the Renaissance from a theoretical perspective.
Recommended publications
  • «Legato Con Amore in Un Volume, Ciò Che Per L'universo Si Squaderna»
    FLORILEGIO DI EDIZIONI DANTESCHE «legato con amore in un volume, ciò che per l’universo si squaderna» LIBRERIA PHILOBIBLON - LIBRERIA PREGLIASCO «legato con amore in un volume, ciò che per l’universo si squaderna» (Paradiso XXXIII, 86-87) Et per mia opinione questo commento e di un Jacopo Bolognese, che secondo il medesimo Landino scrisse nella patria lingua: per che ci sono molte parole Bolognesi, et si mostra molto informato delle cose di Bologna. V. B. (Postilla manoscritta di Vincenzo Buonanni apposta all’esemplare dell’edizione di Venezia, Vindelino da Spira, 1477; cfr scheda n. 1) Questo Florilegio dantesco, realizzato in collaborazione tra la Libreria Philobiblon e la Libreria Pregliasco, non è che una scelta dei libri di maggior pregio di una collezione dantesca di oltre mille opere, il cui catalogo completo vedrà senz’altro la luce prima del 690° anniversario della morte del Poeta. Comprenderà quasi tutte le edizioni critiche del Poema e delle opere cosiddette “minori”, nonché quattrocento volumi monografici ed opuscoli in varie lingue sui più variegati aspetti della figura di Dante. N.B. L’illustrazione in copertina si riferisce al n. 32, Suite acquerellata di Zatta. 1 Libreria PHILOBIBLON Libreria Antiquaria PREGLIASCO Piazza S. Simpliciano, 7 Via Accademia Albertina, 3 bis 20121 Milano 10123 Torino Tel. (+39) 02 89076643 Tel. (+39) 011.8177114 - Telefax (+39) Fax (+39) 02 89076644 011.8179214 Palazzo Massimo - Piazza dei Massimi, 3 e-mail: [email protected] 00186 Roma www.preliber.com Tel. (+39) 06 45555970 Fax (+39) 06 45555991 e-mail: [email protected] www.philobiblon.org redazione e responsabilità - Arturo e Umberto Pregliasco - Filippo Rotundo grafica - Francesco Pregliasco stampa - GRAFART CONDIZIONI DI VENDITA I libri sono garantiti completi e in buono stato, salvo indicazione contraria.
    [Show full text]
  • Pico, Plato, and Albert the Great: the Testimony and Evaluation of Agostino Nifo EDWARD P
    Pico, Plato, and Albert the Great: The Testimony and Evaluation of Agostino Nifo EDWARD P. MAHONEY Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) is without doubt one of the most intriguing figures of the Italian Renaissance. It is thus no surprise that he has attracted the attention of many modern scholars. By reason of the varied interests that are reflected in his writings, contrasting interpretations of Pico have been proposed.1 Our purpose here is not to present a new and different picture of Pico but, rather, to offer a contribution to one fruitful area of research pursued by some recent historians of philosophy, namely, Pico's debt to, and 1. For general presentations of Pico's life and thought, see the classic study of Eugenio Garin, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola: Vita e dottirina (Florence: F. Le Monnier, 1937); Garin's magisterial Storia della filosofia italiana, 2d ed. (Turin: G. Einaudi 1966), 1:458-495. Among more recent general accounts are Pierre-Marie Cordier, Jean Pic de la Mirandole (Paris: Debresse, 1958); Engelbert Monnerjahn, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (Wiesbaden: F. Steiner, 1960); Paul Oskar Kristeller, Eight Philosophers of the Italian Renaissance (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1964), pp. 54-71; Giovanni di Napoli, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola e laproblemaύca dottrinale del suo tempo (Rome: Desclee, 1965); Charles Trinkaus, In Our Image and Likeness (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970), 2:505-526; and Henri de Lubac, Pic de la Mirandole: Etudes et discussions (Paris: Aubier Montaigne, 1974). 165 166 EDWARD P. MAHONEY use of, medieval philosophy in his overall philosophical enterprise.2 Of particular concern will be the influence of Albert the Great on Pico, which can be established by a connection that has apparently not been noticed by Pico's historians.
    [Show full text]
  • Platonic Mysticism
    CHAPTER ONE Platonic Mysticism n the introduction, we began with the etymology of the word I“mysticism,” which derives from mystes (μύστης), an initiate into the ancient Mysteries. Literally, it refers to “one who remains silent,” or to “that which is concealed,” referring one’s direct inner experi- ence of transcendence that cannot be fully expressed discursively, only alluded to. Of course, it is not clear what the Mysteries revealed; the Mystery revelations, as Walter Burkert suggested, may have been to a significant degree cosmological and magical.1 But it is clear that there is a related Platonic tradition that, while it begins with Plato’s dialogues, is most clearly expressed in Plotinus and is conveyed in condensed form into Christianity by Dionysius the Areopagite. Here, we will introduce the Platonic nature of mysticism. That we focus on this current of mysticism originating with Plato and Platonism and feeding into Christianity should not be understood as suggesting that there is no mysticism in other tradi- tions. Rather, by focusing on Christian mysticism, we will see much more clearly what is meant by the term “mysticism,” and because we are concentrating on a particular tradition, we will be able to recog- nize whether and to what extent similar currents are to be found in other religious traditions. At the same time, to understand Christian mysticism, we must begin with Platonism, because the Platonic tra- dition provides the metaphysical context for understanding its latest expression in Christian mysticism. Plato himself is, of course, a sophisticated author of fiction who puts nearly all of what he wrote into the form of literary dialogues 9 © 2017 Arthur Versluis 10 / Platonic Mysticism between various characters.
    [Show full text]
  • Leibniz: the Last Great Christian Platonist
    chapter 3 Leibniz: The Last Great Christian Platonist Jack Davidson Many of the Platonic doctrines are … most beautiful.1 ∵ Leibniz (1646–1716) was the last great philosopher in the rich tradition of Christian Platonism that began before Augustine (354–430) and ran through Pseudo-Dionysius (early sixth century), John Scottus Eriugena (c. 800– c. 877), Anselm (1033–1109), Nicholas of Cusa (1401–64) and Marsilio Ficino’s (1433–1499) Florentine Academy. With the advent of figures like John Locke (1632–1704), David Hume (1711–1776), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), philosophy became both mundane and largely secular. This chapter focuses on the most influential of the 17th-century German Platonists, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. As anyone who knows of the history of Platonism from Plato onward realizes, classifying Leibniz as a Platonist is to place him in the company of philosophers who hold (sometimes wildly) different views, so some specifi- cation is necessary. These days, “Platonism” is used by scholars of ancient philosophy to describe what they take to be actual doctrines in the Platonic canon, doctrines Plato developed or continued to hold in the dialogues after the early, Socratic dialogues, e.g., the theory of the Forms.2 In contemporary metaphysics, “Platonism” refers to the view that certain abstract truths, like those of mathematics and logic, exist independently of time and space and human thought. Frege, Gödel, and Russell were all Platonists in this sense, as 1 D ii 222/l 592. Leibniz citations in the text and notes are by abbreviation keyed to the bibli- ography.
    [Show full text]
  • Mental Models in Galileo's Early Mathematization of Nature
    Stud. Hist. Phil. Sci. 34 (2003) 229–264 www.elsevier.com/locate/shpsa Mental models in Galileo’s early mathematization of nature Paolo Palmieri UCL London, Department of Science and Technology Studies, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK Received 21 June 2001; received in revised form 7 May 2002 1. Introduction: the question of Galileo’s early mathematization of nature Distinguishing between the mathematical followers of Archimedes, notably Gali- leo, and the Aristotelians of the late sixteenth century, William R. Shea asserted that ‘[m]athematicians, under the guidance of Euclid and Archimedes, viewed the world in terms of geometric shapes which obeyed mathematically expressible laws’.1 In my judgement, Shea’s view should be accepted, even though it was not only Euclid and Archimedes who escorted Galileo into new territories such as, for instance, Two New Sciences, or the Discourse on Buoyancy. A more complex picture has gradually emerged thanks to a number of studies that have examined in detail Galileo’s accept- ance of the Euclidean theory of proportions (or proportional reasoning) as the langu- age of early mathematized physics.2 Yet no research has so far been devoted to the cognitive mechanisms underlying Galileo’s mathematization of nature. This paper addresses some questions related to this theme by adopting a cognitive history perspective which relies on the theory of mental models (on mental models, see Sect. 2, Pt. I; on cognitive history, see Sect. 2, Pt. II). Moreover, through a discussion of Galileo’s alleged use of thought experi- ments the paper suggests how a cognitive history perspective might complement E-mail address: [email protected] (P.
    [Show full text]
  • Marsilio Ficino and Avicennian Psychology: on Prophecy and Miracles
    Marsilio Ficino and Avicennian Psychology: on Prophecy and Miracles Naznin Idris Patel School of Religious Studies McGill University, Montreal August 2017 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. © Naznin Idris Patel 2017 Abstract Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology is a philosophical work whose aim is to establish the immortality of the soul. Book XIII contains an account of prophetic visions and miracles that is often compared to Avicenna’s accounts found in his De Anima and Metaphysics. Indeed, Ficino’s relation to Avicenna cannot be overlooked. However, the nature and scope of this relation is not well understood. I argue that a close analysis of both of their psychologies will elucidate the debt Ficino owes to Avicenna as well as Ficino’s motives in doing so. A comparison of their theories reveals that Ficino’s synthetic use of Avicennian ideas allows him to make a compelling case for the immortality of the soul and its divine origins. He uses prophecy and miracles in order to demonstrate the power inherent in the rational soul when it manages to transcend its body. Résumé La Théologie Platonicienne de Marcil Ficin est un texte philosophique dont le but est d’établir l’immortalité de l’âme. Le treizième livre contient une description des visions prophétiques et des miracles qui est souvent comparée aux rapports d’Avicenne d’après son de Anima et La métaphysique. Certes, la relation entre Ficin et Avicenne ne peut être ignorée. Toutefois, la nature et portée de cette relation ne sont pas bien comprises.
    [Show full text]
  • Marsilio Ficino, Philosopher, and Head of the Platonic Academy of Florence
    Ho\oler Thef,, mutilation, and underlining of books '''«'P""<'^y action and may Zl',rTresult m dismissal from the University BUILDING US|E ONLY PEB-|6 1974 /£B . 6 197^ BUlLDlNcj USE ONLY 0CTi9|l979 OCT 131 L161 — O-I096 MARSILIO FICINO, PHILOSOPHER, AND HEAD OF THE PLATONIC ACADEMY OF FLORENCE BY HARRIET WELLS HOBLER A. B. Rockford College, 1882 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN HISTORY IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OP THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 1917 H^^ UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS THE GRADUATE SCHOOL i -^^ .9. 7 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPER- VISION BY ____ ENTITLED BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF In Charge of Thesis Head of Department Recommendation concurred in :* Committee on Final Examination* ^Required for doctor's degree but not for master's. 376559 UlUc' . TABLE OF CONTENTS PROLOG: Two portraits of Marsilio Ficino. INTRODUCTION: The study of Greek in the fifteenth century CHAPTER I: Ficino' s early dedication to the study of Plato; his education; devotion to the work; Cosmo de' Medici's gifts to him; his study of Greek; his letters; his friends; intimate friendships; loyal- ty to Medici family; habits; personal appearance; character; his father, who lived with him; foreign friends; offers of honor and homes; death and burial CHAPTER II: The Florentine Academy; banquets, Landino' description of them; course of instruction in Acad emy; description of assembly rooms; importance; spread of movement. CHAPTER III: Ficino' s works; produced under Lorenzo's patronage; Dialogues of Plato; Enneads of Plotinus Teologica Platonica; Orphic Hymns; other writers of Neo-Platonic School; St.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Twenty-Seven Catholic Europe's Road to the Renaissance
    Chapter Twenty-seven Catholic Europe’s Road to the Renaissance In twelfth- and thirteenth-century Christendom the excitement over the new religious movements all but obscured the beginnings of more secular interests, which in the very long run have been far more consequential. Ultimately they undermined both Christianity and Judaism, and led to the replacement of Christendom by Western (a better adjective is “modern”) civilization. In order to appreciate the twelfth-century seeds of this great change we must see it in perspective. The First Crusade permanently widened the horizons of Catholic Christendom, and the widening brought with it a revival of learning. The “pilgrims” who went to the Holy Land saw parts of the world whose inhabitants were much better off than were the pilgrims themselves or the communities from which they had come. In addition, the leaders of the First Crusade set up kingdoms or counties in the Levant. Some of these crusader kingdoms survived for only a few decades, and none of them for more than a few generations. Ephemeral as they were, however, they allowed Christians of northern Europe and Italy to come into continuing contact with the Dar al-Islam. What seemed especially to differentiate easterners from westerners in the early twelfth century was the sophistication of the former: in the Byzantine empire and especially in the Dar al-Islam the pilgrims encountered societies much more complex and advanced than anything they had seen at home. For centuries western Christians had been focused on Heaven and Hell and had been generally satisfied with (or resigned to) the conditions of earthly life that they had inherited from their parents and grandparents.
    [Show full text]
  • Pattison, Kirsty Laura (2020) Ideas of Spiritual Ascent and Theurgy from the Ancients to Ficino and Pico. Mth(R) Thesis
    Pattison, Kirsty Laura (2020) Ideas of spiritual ascent and theurgy from the ancients to Ficino and Pico. MTh(R) thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/81873/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Ideas of Spiritual Ascent and Theurgy from the Ancients to Ficino and Pico Kirsty Laura Pattison MA (Hons) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of MTh (by Research). School of Critical Studies College of Arts University of Glasgow Supervisors Prof Charlotte Methuen Dr Mia Spiro October 2020 Declaration of Originality Form – Research Degrees This form must be completed and signed and submitted with your thesis. Name Kirsty Laura Pattison ............................................................................................................. Student Number ........................................................................................................... Title of degree MTh (by Research) .................................................................................................. Title of thesis Ideas of Spiritual Ascent from the Ancients to Ficino and Pico .................................. The University's degrees and other academic awards are given in recognition of a student's personal achievement. All work submitted for assessment is accepted on the understanding that it is the student's own effort.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ship of Virtuous Ladies
    SYMPHORIEN CHAMPIER The Ship of Virtuous Ladies • Edited and translated by TODD W. REESER Iter Press Toronto, Ontario Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Tempe, Arizona 2018 Iter Press Tel: 416/978–7074 Email: [email protected] Fax: 416/978–1668 Web: www.itergateway.org Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Tel: 480/965–5900 Email: [email protected] Fax: 480/965–1681 Web: acmrs.org © 2018 Iter, Inc. and the Arizona Board of Regents for Arizona State University. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Champier, Symphorien, 1472?–approximately 1535, author. | Reeser, Todd W., 1967– editor, translator. Title: The ship of virtuous ladies / Symphorien Champier ; edited and translated by Todd W. Reeser. Other titles: Nef des dames vertueuses. English Description: Toronto, Ontario : Iter Press ; Tempe, Arizona : Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2018. | Series: The other voice in early modern Europe. The Toronto series ; 61 | Series: Medieval and Renaissance texts and studies ; volume 528 | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017029563 (print) | LCCN 2017039867 (ebook) | ISBN 9780866987417 (ebook) | ISBN 9780866985857 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: French literature--16th century. | Women--France--History--To 1500. | Women-- France--History--16th century. | Neoplatonism in literature. Classification: LCC PQ1553.C45 (ebook) | LCC PQ1553.C45 N4313 2018 (print) | DDC 848/.309--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017029563 Cover illustration: Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, Rés. Inc. 830, title page. From La nef des dames vertueuses / compo- sée par maistre Simphorien Champier. 1503. Cover design: Maureen Morin, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
    [Show full text]
  • Durham E-Theses
    Durham E-Theses Thomas Traherne in Tradition: An Analysis of Platonist Cognition through the Writings of Plotinus, Ficino, Traherne, and Hobbes GUERTIN, FRANK,JOHN How to cite: GUERTIN, FRANK,JOHN (2017) Thomas Traherne in Tradition: An Analysis of Platonist Cognition through the Writings of Plotinus, Ficino, Traherne, and Hobbes , Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12260/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Abstract Since the initial discovery of Traherne at the turn of the twentieth century, studies of his work have often neglected theological and philosophical analyses. Early caricatures of Traherne as a proto‐Romantic have also colored his reception as a serious theologian. By placing the critical emphasis on the literary dynamics within the corpus, the intellectual history influencing Traherne and the construction of his ideas has subsequently been lightly addressed in scholarship over the years.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Plotinus on Marsilio Ficino's Doctrine
    THE INFLUENCE OF PLOTINUS ON MARSILIO FICINO‘S DOCTRINE OF THE HIERARCHY OF BEING by Nora I. Ayala A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida May 2011 THE INFLUE CE OF PLOTINUS ON MARSILIO FICINO'S DOCTRINE OF THE HIERARCHY OF BEING by ora 1. Ayala This thesis was prepared under the direction ofthe candidate's thesis advisor, Dr. Marina Paola Banchetti, Department of Philosophy, and has been approved by the members of her supervisory committee. It was submitted to the faculty of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and was accepted in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree ofMaster ofArts. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: J) ~'S{L~=-~ Clevis R. Headley, Ph.D. ~> (L.. ~-=--~ Clevis R. Headley, Ph.D. Director, Liberal Studies ~; .~.Q. L ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere thanks to those who were, have been, and are a part of my life. I am who I am because of their unique gifts. iii ABSTRACT Author: Nora I. Ayala Title: The Influence of Plotinus on Marsilio Ficino‘s Doctrine of the Hierarchy of Being Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Marina Paola Banchetti, Ph.D. Degree: Master of Arts Year: 2011 Marsilio Ficino provides the ground to consider Renaissance Platonism as a distinctive movement within the vast context of Renaissance philosophy. Ficino‘s Platonism includes traces of earlier humanistic thought and ideas from Neoplatonic philosophers such as Plotinus, Proclus, and Dionysius the Areopagite.
    [Show full text]