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Renaissance Programme School of Modern Languages Department of Italian Studies THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE Unit code: 4/ IT/IR Unit Convenor : Professor David Robey Unit Tutors : Dr Paola Nasti, Professor David Robey, Dr Lisa Sampson While the Part 2 Introduction to the Renaissance unit deals entirely with prose texts and focuses predominantly on Florence, this unit casts its net wider geographically, covering aspects of the culture of the courts, and also in terms of genre. It deals with lyric poetry, narrative poetry, and drama, focusing especially on texts by some of Italy’s most influential authors, and considers a dialogue which played a very significant role in spreading Italian court culture into the rest of Europe. 1. Petrarch and Petrarchism(10 hours). 2. Ariosto (10 hours) 3. Castiglione and court culture(10 hours) 4. Renaissance Comedy: Machiavelli and Bibbiena (10 hours) The lyric poetry of Petrarch and Ariosto’s Orlando furioso became models for European literature almost immediately after their authors’ deaths. They also became objects of endless linguistic, rhetorical, and philosophical debate, and exercised a profound and lasting influence on European culture. Though less polemical, the comedies discussed played a vital role too in stimulating dramatic activities throughout Europe. The unit aims at introducing the texts and their analysis as well as discussing their significance in the more general context of Italian early Renaissance society and culture in Florence, Rome, Venice and the courts of Northern and central Italy. Petrarch (1304-1374), one of the greatest European poets, could be regarded as the founder of lyric love poetry as a literary genre. Most Renaissance poetry and even modern and contemporary poetry cannot be fully appreciated without reference to his language and imagery, and to his perception of the poet as an intellectual with the highest cultural and philosophical standing. The course will concentrate on Petrarch’s masterpiece, the Canzoniere, or Rerum Vulgarium Fragmenta, and also discuss the lyric tradition that followed him. Attention will be paid to poets such as Bembo, Vittoria Colonna, and Giovanni della Casa. Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso (1532) is a narrative poem, drawing its subject matter from the medieval romances of the Arthurian and Carolingian tradition as well as from classical epic poetry, medieval love poetry, modern classics such as Dante and Petrarch, and popular literature. Probably the most striking characteristic of his endeavour is his extraordinary skill in harmonising the various literary sources of his work, and in concealing the amazing knowledge and refinement that lie behind it in order to produce one of the most entertaining narratives of world literature. Castiglione’s Cortegiano (1528) is a dialogue which evokes a nostalgic picture of the court of Urbino. Its discussion on the formation and role of the accomplished courtier embraces many issues which were part of contemporary intellectual debate, including linguistic theories, ideas on women, and neo-Platonism, which had a profound impact on the love literature of the time. Bibbiena’s Calandria (1513) and Machiavelli’s Mandragola (c. 1518) are amongst the earliest so- called regular comedies to be produced in Italy, that is, comedies modelled on classical examples. They are much more than direct imitations, though, drawing also on the more recent novella tradition, as well as a rich contemporary tradition of courtly festivities and performances. Both writers demonstrate a sophisticated appreciation of wit and comic techniques, and reflect the tastes and ideals of their elite audiences. Yet, much of the enduring appeal of these comedies lies in their irreverent challenge to social conventions such as class and gender, and particularly Machiavelli’s exploration of the subversive side to the genre. Final examination format: three essays. Contact hours 40 (AT - LT year 4) Number of essays: 2 THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 2004-05 p. 2 Coursework Students are required to write one essay per term. Essays on Autumn Term work are due by 4 pm on Tuesday 11 January 2005. Essays on Spring Term work are due by 4 pm on Thursday 17 March 2005. Please see the Department’s Final Year Handbook for the University's rules on late submission of work. Essays must be submitted to Mrs Whyte’s office (Room 70). They must be on paper and in duplicate: word-processing is strongly recommended, but we cannot accept essays in electronic form. When handing in essays, students must also sign a submission form for this piece of work, declaring that this is all their own work (please see the Final Year Handbook for the University's rules on plagiarism). Copies of this form are available in Room 70. Students should obtain a receipt for their essays. SOME BACKGROUND READING P.O. Kristeller, Renaissance Thought (New York : Harper & Row, 1965) (190-KRI) G. Holmes, The Florentine Enlightenment (London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1969) (945.51-HOL) J.N.Stephens, The Italian Renaissance (London : Longman, 1990) (945.05-STE) Werner L. Gundersheimer, Ferrara : The style of a Renaissance despotism (1973), 945.45-GUN (Short Loan Collection) C.S. Lewis, The allegory of love : a study in medieval tradition (London : Oxford University Press, 1936) 808.1-LEW John Larner, Culture and society in Italy, 1290-1420 (London : Batsford, 1971) 945.05-LAR Hay, Denys and Law, John, Italy in the Age of the Renaissance 1380-1530 (London: Longman, 1989) 945.05-HAY Martines, Lauro, Power and imagination: city-states in Renaissance Italy (London: Allen Lane, 1980) 945.05-MAR Jill Kraye, ed., The Cambridge companion to Renaissance humanism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996) – chapters by Warren Boutcher and M. L. McLaughlin 144-CAM Brand, Peter, and Pertile, Lino (eds.), ‘The Cinquecento’, in The Cambridge History of Italian Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996); see the sections on ‘Prose’ (pp. 181-88; 203-212), ‘Narrative poetry, ‘lyric poetry’ and ‘theatre’ (pp. 277-86) 850.9-CAM Reference sources J. R. Hale, Concise Enyclopedia of the Italian Renaissance (1995) – useful brief entries, time- lines 945.05-CON Encyclopedia of the Renaissance, ed. Paul F. Grendler, 6 vols. (New York: Scribner’s, 1999) th [4 Floor Ref. – 940.21-ENC] THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 2004-05 p. 3 SEMINARS, PRESENTATIONS AND COMMENTARIES A very brief guide to seminar and presentations Prepare yourself: read the canto(s) more than once [it is good practice to read (if you haven’t already done so) also the canto preceding and following the one(s) you are going to discuss]. A second reading will allow you to note down details about the poet’s choices. Leave adequate time for reading, and consultation with the other members of your group. Define your aims and objectives: decide what the important issues are, what it is that you want to communicate to your audience, and how best to express it. Bear in mind the time limitations. Try to concentrate on important points. Aim not to describe but to explain the significance of the facts you are bringing to the attention of your audience. Interact with your audience: try not to read from a script but speak fluently and slowly about you ideas and points. Take your time, engage your audience, look at them, speak to them, ask questions (provide handouts or any material you think might help your audience). A good presentation should be able to stimulate topics for discussion and raise unresolved questions or problems. Organize your team and pace yourself: you might decide to elect a spokesperson or divide the material of your presentation among all the members or the team. Whatever your choice, pay attention to the time limits (25 minutes) and leave time for discussion. A VERY BRIEF GUIDE ON HOW TO WRITE A COMMENTARY (Also useful for presentations) · Organise your material in a revealing and principled way, i.e. § Providing an effective introduction and conclusion § Addressing important features and linking them together rather that simply moving through the passage line by line. · Clearly and accurately contextualise the passage · Assess the passage’s significance in the text as a whole · Show a good understanding of the passage’s content. Under no circumstances whatsoever should you simply summarise the passage. · Offer an appreciation of the passage’s style and language · Show a wider knowledge of the text by relating your remarks on content and form to the text as a whole · Use secondary material · Where relevant, show wider knowledge of the culture and the literature of the Middle Ages. STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITIES · Students are required to read in advance those texts which are to be discussed in the lecture. Students are also required to read any associated material attentively, engaging in further reading. · English translations can be used, but ultimately students will have to show an understanding of the original text. Lectures and seminars will be based on the original, students are therefore required to bring a copy of the RVF in class. · Attendance during lectures and seminar sessions are compulsory and essential to a successful outcome. Students are required to participate actively in seminars, whether in discussion, by asking questions, or by giving properly prepared presentations. THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 2004-05 p. 4 Ariosto: Orlando furioso Autumn Term 2004 (Mondays at 12, Room 73): Prof. Robey Week 1 General Introduction Week 2 Historical and cultural background Week 3 More background. The plot and its implications Week 4 Discussion: Canto 1 Week 5 The figure of the author and addresses to the reader Week 6 Themes Week 7 Discussion: selected Canti Week 8 Themes Week 9 Discussion: selected Canti Week 10 Conclusion and overview Set text: Ariosto, Orlando furioso (any edition) Canti for special study: 1-2, 11, 22-24, 28-29, 34, 39, 42 Critical Bibliography Brand, C.P., Ludovico Ariosto: a preface to the 'Orlando furioso' , Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, 1974.
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