Italy and the Classical Tradition Language, Thought and Poetry 1300-1600

Italy's early fascination with its Hellenic and Roman origins created what is now called 'the classical tradition'. This book focuses on the role of the Greek and Latin languages and texts in Italian humanist thought and Renaissance poetry: how ancient languages were mastered and used, and how ancient texts were acquired and appropriated. Fresh perspectives on the influences of Aristotle, Plutarch and Virgil accompany innovative interpretations of canonical Italian authors ' including Dante, Petrarch and Alberti ' in the light of their classical models. Treatments of more specialized forms of writing, such as the cento and commentary, and some opening chapters on linguistic history also prompt reassessment of Renaissance perceptions of both Greece and Rome in relation to early modern Latin and vernacular culture. The collection as a whole highlights the importance of Italy's unique legacy of antiquity for the history of ideas and philology, as well as for literary history. The essays in this volume, all by leading specialists, are supplemented by a detailed introduction and a subject bibliography. Contributors: Giulio Lepschy (University College London); Philip Burton (University of Birmingham); Nigel Wilson (Lincoln College, Oxford); Martin McLaughlin (Magdalen College, Oxford); Letizia Panizza (Royal Holloway, University of London); Jill Kraye (Warburg Institute, London); Claudia Villa (University of Bergamo); Jonathan Usher (University of Edinburgh); Stefano Carrai (University of Siena); George Hugo Tucker (University of Reading).

Carlo Caruso is Professor of Italian at Durham University.Andrew Laird is Professor of Classical Literature at the University of Warwick.