The Poet as Philosopher: Petrarch and the Formation of Renaissance Consciousness

by Charles Edward Trinkaus

Trinkaus, Charles

Genres: Poetry, Philosophy, Literary Criticism, Italy, History

158 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting.

I gave this four stars because it has challenged my views on the role of poetry in education, society, preaching, etc.

Petrarch argued that Poetry, with its clandestine rhetoric, theology and philosophy, is the greatest mode to present the truth and cure man' soul.

This stands alone, in three semesters, as the text I was required to read at WSU that I am glad for experiencing.

“Renaissance Humanism, which under Petrarch’s formation and tutelage vindicated the importance of poetry and rhetoric as effectors of an intimate bond between reason and emotion, thought and action, intellect and will. Petrarchan Humanism became the historical force mobilizing thought and letters against the blind impulsiveness of an illusory popular culture and the elitism of the philosophical schools” (Trinkaus, 135).

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medicine for the heart.