ITAL233 - Painted Humanism and Secret Renaissance: War and Peace in Italy

[ Wesleyan Home Page ] [ WesMaps Home Page ] [ WesMaps Archive ] [ Course Search ] [ Course Search by CID ]
Academic Year 2001/2002

Painted Humanism and Secret Renaissance: War and Peace in Italy
ITAL 233 SP

Crosslistings:
ARHA 226
HIST 212

It is a well-known fact that the recuperation of classical models was fundamental for the early modern cultural movements that we identify by the terms "Humanism" and "Renaissance". Students today are perhaps less aware that politics rivaled aesthetics as a central concern of this age. Conspiracies, war, and other forms of violence--their causes, manifestations, and consequences--are as crucial as any reflection on notions of the classical for understanding the culture and cultural phenomena of Italy during the 15th-16th centuries.

In this course we will focus on the conversation that emerges along these lines, between aesthetics and politics, in the literature and visual arts of the period. We will give special attention to the relationship between covert and overt modes of communication by analyzing how SECRET language unfolds in opposition to the obvious public forms of address. Our inquiry will involve a wide variety of genres and styles: private epistles and public orations; dialogues, diaries, dramas; epic and lyric poems; treatises and novellas, coded diplomatic letters, historiographic and autobiographic recollections. We will study as well pertinent works of art by the prominent painters, sculptors, and architects of Renaissance Italy.

MAJOR READINGS

Works by Petrarca, Piccolomini, Alberti, Cornazzano, Masuccio, Pulci, Poliziano, Machiavelli, Castiglione, Aretino, Ariosto, and Tasso.
Discussion will treat works by the following artists as well: Pinturicchio, Pollaiolo, Mantegna, Laurana, Francesco di Giorgio, Piero della Francesca, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raffaello, Giulio Romano, Rosso Fiorentino.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

One short paper (3-5 pages); one midterm quiz; one oral in-class presentation; one final paper (10-15 pages).

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This course is an advanced seminar, conducted in Italian. All reading, writing, assignments, discussion, and in-class presentations are to be done in Italian.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RLAN Grading Mode: Graded

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Simonetta,Marcello

Times: .M.W... 07:00PM-08:20PM; Location: ZLKA106

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 19)

SR. major: 6 Jr. major: 4

SR. non-major: 4 Jr. non-major: 2 SO: 2 FR: 1

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Speaking, Focused Inquiry Course

Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2002