The Book of the Courtier
Fiction & Literature, Essays & Letters, Essays, Poetry, Nonfiction, History
| Author: | Baldesar Castiglione | ISBN: | 9780141916514 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd | Publication: | April 29, 2004 |
| Imprint: | Penguin | Language: | English |
| Author: | Baldesar Castiglione |
| ISBN: | 9780141916514 |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Publication: | April 29, 2004 |
| Imprint: | Penguin |
| Language: | English |
In The Book of the Courtier (1528), Baldesar Castiglione, a diplomat and Papal Nuncio to Rome, sets out to define the essential virtues for those at Court. In a lively series of imaginary conversations between the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, his speakers discuss qualities of noble behaviour - chiefly discretion, decorum, nonchalance and gracefulness - as well as wider questions such as the duties of a good government and the true nature of love. Castiglione's narrative power and psychological perception make this guide both an entertaining comedy of manners and a revealing window onto the ideals and preoccupations of the Italian Renaissance at the moment of its greatest splendour.
In The Book of the Courtier (1528), Baldesar Castiglione, a diplomat and Papal Nuncio to Rome, sets out to define the essential virtues for those at Court. In a lively series of imaginary conversations between the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, his speakers discuss qualities of noble behaviour - chiefly discretion, decorum, nonchalance and gracefulness - as well as wider questions such as the duties of a good government and the true nature of love. Castiglione's narrative power and psychological perception make this guide both an entertaining comedy of manners and a revealing window onto the ideals and preoccupations of the Italian Renaissance at the moment of its greatest splendour.
