Title: The Italian romance epic in the age of humanism : the matter of Italy and the world of Rome /
Authors: Everson, J. E.
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 2001
Subjects: Epic poetry, Italian History and criticism.; Humanism Italy.; Epic literature, Italian History and criticism.
Abstract: "The immense success of the Italian romance or chivalric epic between the mid-fourteenth century and the sixteenth century constitutes a striking paradox. Through an analysis of aspects of both the cultural context and major literary texts, this book shows that the traditional distinction of popular versus elite culture cannot be maintained. The study reveals a process of syncretism and symbiosis through which the romance epic adapted to the challenges posed by the classical revival, absorbing and rewriting elements of classical texts into the tradition of the matter of France and the matter of Britain to create a new 'matter of Italy' - of texts which appealed to all levels of society."--Jacket.
Contents: pt. I. Introduction. 1. Approaches to the Romance Epic -- pt. II. Texts and Contexts. 2. Prehistory of the Romance Epic in Italy. 3. (Re- )Reading the Classics. 4. Petrarch and Boccaccio: Starting Points, Turning Points, and Blind Alleys. 5. Books, Readers, and Reception -- pt. III. New Perspectives, New Readings. 6. Mars and Venus -- Love and War. 7. The Figure of the Hero. 8. The One and the Many: Constructing the Plot -- pt. IV. Conclusion. 9. The Paradoxical Success of the Romance Epic: Ariosto and Beyond.