Petrarch - Everywhere a Wanderer

An enlightening study of the contradictory character of this canonical fourteenth-century Italian poet.

Born in Tuscany in 1304, Italian poet Francesco Petrarca is widely considered one of the fathers of the modern Italian language. Though his writings inspired the humanist movement and subsequently the Renaissance, Petrarch remains misunderstood. He was a man of contradictions--a Roman pagan devotee and a devout Christian, a lover of friendship and sociability, yet intensely private.

In this biography, Christopher S. Celenza revisits Petrarch's life and work for the first time in decades, considering how the scholar's reputation and identity have changed since his death in 1374. He brings to light Petrarch's unrequited love for his poetic muse, the anti-institutional attitude he developed as he sought a path to modernity by looking backward to antiquity, and his endless focus on himself. Drawing on both Petrarch's Italian and Latin writings, this is a revealing portrait of a figure of paradoxes: a man of mystique, historical importance, and endless fascination. It is the only book on Petrarch suitable for students, general readers, and scholars alike.

About the author

Christopher S. Celenza is James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. His previous books include Machiavelli: A Portrait (2015) and The Intellectual World of the Italian Renaissance (2018).

Summary

The first general account of Italian poet Francesco Petrarca in over thirty years.

Product details

• Authors: Christopher S. Celenza, Celenza Christopher S.
• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.08.2022
• EAN: 9781789146738
• ISBN: 978-1-78914-673-8
• No. of pages: 224
• Series: Renaissance Lives
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry, LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, LITERARY CRITICISM / European / Italian, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Italian, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Literary studies: poetry and poets