This document provides an overview of important Renaissance literature in Italy. It discusses the appearance of Italian literature during the Renaissance period and how it was influenced by humanism and the recovery of classical antiquity. Several significant Italian writers of the time are mentioned, including Petrarch, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Ariosto, and Michelangelo. The document also lists 13 classic books that are often taught in Italian schools, such as Dante's Divine Comedy, Boccaccio's Decameron, and Manzoni's The Betrothed.
2. Problems to be discussed
1. The appearance of Italian literature
2. Significant writers and poets associated with the Renaissance literature
3. Important Writers and Renaissance Literature
4. 13 CLASSIC BOOKS EVERY ITALIAN HAS READ WHEN IN SCHOOL
3. The appearance of Italian literature
Renaissance literature refers to European literature which
was influenced by the intellectual and cultural tendencies
associated with the Renaissance. The literature of the
Renaissance was written within the general movement of the
Renaissance, which arose in 14th-century Italy and continued
until the mid-17th century in England while being diffused
into the rest of the western world.[1] It is characterized by the
adoption of a humanist philosophy and the recovery of the
classical Antiquity. It benefited from the spread of printing in
the latter part of the 15th century.
4. For the writers of the Renaissance, Greco-
Roman inspiration was shown both in the themes
of their writing and in the literary forms they used.
The world was considered from
an anthropocentric perspective. Platonic ideas
were revived and put to the service of Christianity.
The search for pleasures of the senses and a
critical and rational spirit completed the ideological
panorama of the period. New literary genres such
as the essay (Montaigne) and new metrical forms
such as the Spenserian stanza made their
appearance.
5. The impact of the Renaissance varied across the
continent; countries that were
predominantly Catholic or Protestant experienced the
Renaissance differently. Areas where the Eastern
Orthodox Church was culturally dominant, as well as
those areas of Europe under Islamic rule, were more or
less outside its influence. The period focused on self-
actualization and one's ability to accept what is going
on in one's life.[citation needed]
The earliest Renaissance literature appeared in Italy in
the 14th century; Petrarch, Machiavelli, and Ariosto are
notable examples of Italian Renaissance writers.
6. From Italy, the influence of the Renaissance spread at
different times to other countries and continued to spread
around Europe through the 17th century. The English
Renaissance and the Renaissance in Scotland date from
the late 15th century to the early 17th century.[1] In
northern Europe, the scholarly writings of Erasmus, the
plays of William Shakespeare, the poems of Edmund
Spenser, and the writings of Sir Philip Sidney may be
considered Renaissance in character.
The development of the printing press (using movable
type) by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1440s encouraged
authors to write in their local vernacular instead
of Greek or Latin classical languages, thus widening the
reading audience and promoting the spread of
Renaissance ideas.
7. Significant writers and poets
associated with the Renaissance
literature are:
Italian: Petrarch, Giovanni Boccaccio, Jacopo Sannazaro, Niccolò
Machiavelli, Ludovico Ariosto, Michelangelo
Francesco Petrarca
Francesco
Petrarca (Italian: [franˈtʃesko peˈtrarka]; 20 July
1304 – 18/19 July 1374),
commonly anglicized as Petrarch (/ˈpiːtrɑːrk, ˈpɛt-
/), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance
Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.[1]
8. Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni
Boccaccio (UK: /bəˈkætʃioʊ/, US: /boʊˈkɑːtʃ(i)oʊ, bə-
/, Italian: [dʒoˈvanni bokˈkattʃo]; 16 June 1313 – 21
December 1375)[nb 1] was an Italian writer, poet,
correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance
humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so
well known as a writer that he was sometimes simply
known as "the Certaldese"[nb 2] and one of the most
important figures in the European literary panorama of
the fourteenth century. Some scholars (including Vittore
Branca) define him as the greatest European prose writer
of his time, a versatile writer who amalgamated different
literary trends and genres, making them converge in
original works, thanks to a creative activity exercised
under the banner of experimentalism.
9. Jacopo Sannazaro
Jacopo Sannazaro (Italian
pronunciation: [ˈjaːkopo sanna
dˈdzaːro]; 28 July 1458[1] – 6
August 1530[2]) was an Italian
poet, humanist, member and
head of the Accademia
Pontaniana from Naples.
10. Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei
Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21
June 1527) was an Italian
diplomat, author, philosopher
and historian who lived during
the Renaissance. He is best
known for his political
treatise The Prince (Il Principe),
written around 1513 but not
published until 1532, five years
after his death.He has often been
called the father of
11. Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico
Ariosto (Italian: [ludoˈviːko aˈrjɔsto, -
ariˈɔsto]; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533)
was an Italian poet. He is best known as the
author of the romance epic Orlando
Furioso (1516). The poem, a continuation
of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando
Innamorato, describes the adventures
of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as
they battle against the Saracens with
diversions into many sideplots. The poem is
transformed into a satire of
the chivalric tradition.[1] Ariosto composed
the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme
and introduced narrative commentary
throughout the work.
12. Michelangelo di Lodovico
Buonarroti Simoni
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti
Simoni (Italian: [mikeˈlandʒelo di lodoˈviːko ˌbwɔnarˈr
ɔːti siˈmoːni]; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564),
known
as Michelangelo (English: /ˌmaɪkəlˈændʒəloʊ, ˌmɪk-
/[1]), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect,[2] and
poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of
Florence, his work was inspired by models
from classical antiquity and had a lasting influence
on Western art. Michelangelo's creative abilities and
mastery in a range of artistic arenas define him as an
archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival and
elder contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci.[3] Given the
sheer volume of surviving correspondence, sketches,
and reminiscences, Michelangelo is one of the best-
documented artists of the 16th century. He was lauded
by contemporary biographers as the most
accomplished artist of his era.
13. Storia della letteratura italiana
The Storia della
letteratura
italiana (History of Italian
Literature) is an essay
written by Italian literary
critic Francesco de
Sanctis, published
by Morano in two
volumes in 1870 and
1871.
It is considered the first truly complete, organic
treatment of Italian literature as a whole.
14. The Storia della letteratura
italiana consists of the 20 chapters
(the last two are somewhat shorter
and less in-depth, due to pressure
the publisher put on De Sanctis to
complete the work):
15. Important Writers and Renaissance
Literature
The Renaissance was an evolutionary period for the
people in Europe. New philosophies such as
humanism developed and grew throughout the 13th-
16th centuries. These philosophical concepts
influenced art and literature of the time. In fact,
some of history’s greatest works of literature were
created during the Renaissance.
16. One of the first literary works that contributed to
the Renaissance was the Divine Comedy written by
Dante Alighieri in 1321. Dante was one of the most
prominent developing forces of Italian literature and
the Renaissance. The Divine Comedy is a three part
epic poem of Dante’s fictional journey into the
afterlife. It represents the soul’s journey towards
God. The poem was written in Italian rather than
Latin which marks the end of the Middle Ages and
rise of Renaissance humanism. Through his writing
he contributed to the growth of humanism, created
new literary elements that later authors adopted,
and challenged the power of the Church.
17.
18. Another important Renaissance literary work
is The Praise of Folly. It was written by
Desiderius Erasmus in 1509. The essay
critiques the practices of the Church and its
political allies. It created much controversy
and played an important role in the
beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.
19. Niccolo Machiavelli authored The Prince in 1513. The
book criticized another important institution; the
government. The Prince presented many controversial
concepts and theories about politics and power.
Machiavelli used the character of “a new prince” that
would come to power through deceit, force, and careful
calculation. He justified the use of doing wrong things to
get power if it meant that that power could be used to do
good. Although controversial, it is seen as the earliest
work of modern political philosophy. This political
thought influenced many leaders throughout history.
20. The later part of the Renaissance gave way to
works such as Don Quixote written by Miguel
de Cervantes of Spain in 1612. This was
considered the first modern novel and is one
of the most readily available pieces of Western
literature in history. It was a renaissance
humanist critique on how people often chase
impractical delusions of idealism and nobility.
21. The greatest writer of the Renaissance (and perhaps
in all of history) was William Shakespeare. Born in
England around April 1564, Shakespeare was a
playwright, poet, and actor. His works comprise of
over 150 sonnets and nearly 40 plays,
including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and
many more.
23. La Divina Commedia – Dante Alighieri
Undoubtedly the most important Italian book of all times, La
Divina Commedia is one of the masterpieces of world literature.
Supposedly written between 1306 and 1321 by Dante Alighieri,
the book tells the story of the journey the writer is able to take in
the afterlife. Divina Commedia is divided into three parts,
called cantiche: l’Inferno, il Purgatorio and il Paradiso (Hell,
Purgatory, and Paradise). Each cantica is then divided into
33 canti.
24. Decameron – Giovanni Boccaccio
Another very important Medieval work of art is
the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, a collection of
short stories told by a group of young people, seven
girls and three men, who are forced to stay away from
Florence for ten days, in order to avoid the terrible
black plague that was haunting the area at the time.
25. Il Principe – Niccolò Machiavelli
In 1513, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote Il Principe, which is an essay
about politics where the writer describes the characteristics of
principalities and the methods to conquer and maintain them. It is a
very popular essay, which cannot be classified under a specific
literary genre, and led its author to be considered the founder of the
modern political sciences.
26. Orlando Furioso – Ludovico Ariosto
Then comes a love story. It’s the Orlando Furioso by
Ludovico Ariosto, a poem written in 1516 that tells the
story of Orlando and Angelica. Those are the two main
characters of the poem: Orlando is a Christian knight,
while Angelica is a beautiful young lady who is the
object of the love of many knights.
27. Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis – Ugo Foscolo
Inspired by Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, Ultime
lettere di Jacopo Ortis is the first epistolary novel in Italian
literature. Published in 1802, the book is a collection of the
letters that the main character, Jacopo Ortis, sent to his friend
Lorenzo Alderani, who published them after the suicide of
Jacopo. The story is invented but takes inspiration from a real
event – the suicide of the student Gerolamo Ortis in 1796.
28. I promessi sposi – Alessandro Manzoni
Together with La Divina Commedia, I promessi sposi is
probably the most important book in Italian literature.
Undoubtedly, these two are the most popular ones, the books
every Italian has read or studied in his life. I am sure you will not
find a single Italian who doesn’t know what La Divina
Commedia or I promessi sposi are. I hope so, at least!
29. Le mie prigioni – Silvio Pellico
Published only ten years before the final version of I
promessi sposi, Le mie prigioni describes the
imprisonment of the author, Silvio Pellico, who was held
prisoner for participating in the Carbonari riots in Milan. The
book covers a period of ten years, from 1820 to 1830,
during which Silvio Pellico was imprisoned first in Venice
and then in Brno.
30. Cuore – Edmondo De Amicis
completely different book from the ones mentioned
before, Cuore was published in 1886. Intended for
young readers, the book is written as a diary kept by
Enrico Bottini, who writes about his life and that of his
fellow pupils in the school year 1881-1882.
31. I Malavoglia – Giovanni Verga
I Malavoglia is undoubtedly the most famous novel by
Giovanni Verga and one of the most popular Italian classic
books in general. Published in 1881, it tells the story of a
family of fishermen who live in Aci Trezza, a little
Sicilian village near Catania. The family has a very difficult
life and has to experience many sorrows and losses.
32. Il fu Mattia Pascal – Luigi Pirandello
This is the first book written by the Nobel prize winner
Luigi Pirandello. It was first published in installments, then
as a single volume in 1904. The book tells the story of
Mattia Pascal, a librarian who has a boring and unsatisfying
job. One day, he reads the newspapers and realizes that
everybody thinks he’s dead, so he decides to start and new
life and disappear.
33. La coscienza di Zeno – Italo Svevo
Here comes another masterpiece of Italian
literature. Published in 1923, La coscienza di
Zeno tells the story of Zeno Corsini: it is actually an
analysis that the main character makes of himself.
34. Il deserto dei Tartari – Dino Buzzati
Once again, it is a true masterpiece and a very
enjoyable and interesting read. It is a very
powerful book about the uselessness of
war too.
35. Il deserto dei Tartari – Dino Buzzati
Published in 1940, the book gave its author,
Dino Buzzati, a huge success. Set in an
imaginary place on the borders of the
Italian kingdom, it tells the story of
Giovanni Drogo, a soldier who becomes an
officer and is sent to Fortezza Bastiani.
36. Il Gattopardo – Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
The book was published in 1958, one year after the death of its
author, who has never been able to find a publisher in his life.
Sadly for the writer, the book was an incredible success, it won
the prestigious literary prize called Premio Strega, and we could
say it was the first best-seller in Italian history. The book was
then made into a movie, with Burt Lancaster and Claudia
Cardinale, which gave it even more fame and success.
