Invectives (The I Tatti Renaissance Library)

by Francesco Petrarca, David Marsh (Translator)

Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374), one of the greatest of Italian poets, was also the leading spirit in the Renaissance movement to revive ancient Roman language and literature. Just as Petrarch's Latin epic Africa imitated Virgil and his compendium On Illustrious Men was inspired by Livy, so Petrarch's four Invectives were intended to revive the eloquence of the great Roman orator Cicero. The Invectives are directed against the cultural idols of the Middle Ages--against scholastic philosophy and medicine and the dominance of French culture in general. They defend the value of literary culture against obscurantism and provide a clear statement of the values of Renaissance humanism. This volume provides a new critical edition of the Latin text based on the two autograph copies, and the first English translation of three of the four invectives.

Genres: Philosophy

560 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 2004

About the author

Famous Italian poet, scholar, and humanist Francesco Petrarca, known in English as Petrarch, collected love lyrics in Canzoniere .

People often call Petrarch the earliest Renaissance "father of humanism". Based on Petrarch's works, and to a lesser extent those of Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio, Pietro Bembo in the 16th century created the model for the modern Italian language, which the Accademia della Crusca later endorsed. People credit Petrarch with developing the sonnet. They admired and imitated his sonnets, a model for lyrical poems throughout Europe during the Renaissance. Petrarch called the Middle Ages the Dark Ages.

Reviews

[Daniel Schotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing is certain. People don't write like this anymore. This kind of eloquence was probably already rare in his own time but is even rarer now.

For people that wish to get a glimpse into the intellectual word/side of the Renaissance, just like any other, I Tatti / Harvard translation of the works of Petrarch (currently 4 books), it is highly recommended to put on your reading list.

You will be enlightened.