A Short History of Renaissance Italy
Dr. Kaborycha’sA Short History of Renaissance Italyis based on a thorough knowledgeof current literature. She is aware of the controversies among scholars over the interpretationof this epoch. She analyzes the tension between continuity and change inthese centuries, from the ravages of the Black Death in the 1340s, to the revival in thefifteenth century, and the dramatic consequences of the foreign invasions after 1494.A notable quality of this work is the author’s integration of every significant feature ofthis era, from climate and geography to politics, the economy, and religion and culture.Her choice of literary and artistic sources, from Homer and Cicero to Dante andMichelangelo, is always pertinent and instructive. She begins each chapter by settingthe scene with apt quotations or illustrations to establish the context of her analysis.Her writing style is lucid and often eloquent, and she takes care to explain unfamiliarconcepts and themes. Her suggestions for further reading are well chosen. This bookis an exemplary narrative and analysis of a major chapter in the history of Westerncivilization. Gene A. BruckerShepard Professor of History, EmeritusUniversity of California, Berkeley