The Cambridge History of Italian Literature

by Peter Brand (Editor), Lino Pertile (Editor)

Italy possesses one of the richest and most influential literatures of Europe, stretching back to the thirteenth century. This first substantial history of Italian literature to appear in the English language for forty years provides a comprehensive survey of Italian writing from its earliest origins up to the present day. Leading scholars describe and assess the work of writers who have contributed to the Italian literary tradition, including Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, the Renaissance humanists, Machiavelli, Ariosto and Tasso, pioneers and practitioners of commedia dell'arte and opera, and the contemporary novelists Calvino and Eco. The Cambridge History of Italian Literature sets out to be accessible to the general reader as well as to students and scholars: translations are provided, along with a map, chronological chart and up-to-date and substantial bibliographies.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, Italy, Reference

735 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 1997

Reviews

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 既然德桑克蒂斯的书我只给了四星，那此书真的也就只能到三星为止了。如果不考虑这个因素我本来是愿意加一星的，因为它确实增进了我对15世纪和gruppo 63的理解而这对我现在关注的问题非常重要。但是和我通读这本书耗费的时间相比，这点收获又显得多么微不足道啊，在开始读它之前我万万想不到一部正文600页的文学史竟然几乎无法引起我对任何作家的新兴趣。或许直接当成工具书ctrl+f作家姓名才是它的正确打开方式。
ps 以上评论对现代诗歌部分可能不适用因为这部分我完全不懂。

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

You were incredibly dense and held nothing I needed. But you also proved my point in doing so.

[Reva · Rating 4 out of 5]

As dense as this book is, it obviously requires time and concentration to get the most out of it; a pen/pencil and a notebook with many blank pages nearby doesn’t hurt, either. The authors trace in detail the development of specific literary forms – the rhythm and rhyme patterns of trecento poetry across the peninsula/islands, for example – as the Italian language itself develops. While Florence’s literary output warrants most of the praise it deserves, Brand and Pertile and their selected experts constantly bring less popular movements and authors to light. There’s a whole chapter – though somewhat off-putting with its persuasive style – dedicated to trecento authors who aren’t Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. While the early periods are succinct and well covered, though, the nature of the subject – or just the number of names and works themselves – after the 17th century or so certainly becomes more involved and harder to describe quite as cleanly. The editors do, however, manage to squeeze in some major players in the worlds of theater and of opera; the same author discusses opera through a few different centuries, making it easier for the reader to come back to the topic each time. At the finish, the authors blurt out catalogues of the more famous 20th century authors; time will tell which of them will eventually deserve their own chapter in a history book a few centuries from now.

[Lindsay Wuchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent overview of Italian literature that really helped with my understanding of time periods, authors and texts. Very well done!