The Book of the Courtier - Softcover

Castiglione, Baldassare

Softcover

ISBN 10: 178139427X ISBN 13: 9781781394274

Publisher: Benediction Classics, 2014

Synopsis

The Book of the Courtier (Il Cortegiano), describing the behaviour of the ideal courtier (and court lady) was one of the most widely distributed books in the 16th century. It remains the definitive account of Renaissance court life. This edition, Thomas Hoby's 1561 English translation, greatly influenced the English ideal of the "gentleman." Baldesar Castiglione, a courtier at the court of Urbino, at that time the most refined and elegant of the Italian courts. Practising his principles, counted many of the leading figures of his time as friends, and was employed on sensitive diplomatic missions. He was a close personal friend of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael, who painted the sensitive portrait of Castiglione on the cover of this edition. Also available in hardcover. (isbn 9781781391860)

About this title

About the Author:

Daniel Javitch is Professor of Comparative Literature at New York University. He is the author of Poetry and Courtliness in Renaissance England, Proclaiming a Classic: The Canonization of Orlando Furioso, and is at work on a book tentatively entitled Thinking About Genre in the Sixteenth Century. He has been, since 1972, a director of New Directions Publishing Corporation. Charles S. Singleton was Professor Emeritus of Hispanic and Italian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He also translated Boccaccio's Decameron and Dante's The Divine Comedy, and was awarded Italy's Order of Commendation for his contributions to the study of Italian literature.

About this edition

• Publisher: Benediction Classics
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 178139427X
• ISBN 13: 9781781394274
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 380