Italian+Literature+(13th+Century-+16th+Century)

Italian Literature really began in the thirteenth century. Until then, all literature was written in what was then really the vernacular of everything, Latin. Throughout the time period of the 13th-16th, the major events of the 13th through 16th centuries were all based around the Renaissance. Which caused a lot of social uproars, and change throughout all of Europe, Italy was part of this. The Church was a big part throughout the time period, a lot of changes in the Church happened during this time because it was part of the Churches Reformation, and all of the different types of new religions that branched off of the Catholic religion. Humanism was a big part of Italian literature because of Petrarch, who was a humanist that wrote about some of the things he believed in. Well, didn’t every author write about that though?
 * __Italian Literature 13th-16th Century __**
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The major themes of 13th-16th century Italian Literature were the following:
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-Religion  Throughout most of history, not just in Italian Literature, normally the major theme in a lot of literature is religion. Religion is really the basis of all writing, because the most literate people in a lot of our history are the ones that were associated with the church, which makes a lot of sense on why we see a lot of religion based stories in our books and literature. Italian Literature is no different. Religion was changing a lot in the Renaissance period of Italian culture, so it is no wonder that it was such a big part of the written books, poetry, and letters.

-Renaissance and Social Changes  The Renaissance was obviously a big part of what writers and poets were writing about. Because it had a miraculous amount of changes, and with change brings new ideas, which brings definite opinions throughout the world. Fortunately enough, people like Petrarch, Boccaccio, Dante, and others, all were smart enough to write down their opinions through stories that show the world what happened during this time period.

The minor themes of 13th-16th century Italian Literature were the following:
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-Love <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In a large amount of the poems of the 13th-16th century, Love is one of the biggest minor themes. A lot of poets write poetry about love and love gone wrong, and everyone reads it, but that’s because love is something that everyone knows a little about. Love in the 13th-16th centuries was kind of different from the love that happens now in most culture. If you loved someone back in this time period, you would have either written something about them, or created some sort of art to show them that. You also would have courted them, that doesn’t really ever happen now, well it kind of does, but not all the time like back then. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The major authors of 13th-16th century Italian Literature were the following:
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Dante <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dante is considered one of the first authors ever. His work, The Divine Comedy is one of the books that made literature of any kind what it is today. He wrote about what was going on during the time period, he also wrote about what he knew, which was faith, religion, unlike today, back in that time period, EVERYONE was a part of the church. You learned about faith at a young age, even if you couldn’t read or write.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Boccaccio <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Boccaccio is one of the greatest poets of Italian Literature. His work, The Decameron is one of the only works back then that talked about women and their role in society. Granted it may not be what some say is what women should do, but that was a different time period than today, women were inferior to men even more than how they are today.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Petrarch <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Francesco Petrarch is considered one of the best authors/poets of all time. He wrote the best poems and hymns about love and faith. Petrarch was one of the first ever to write about Humanism, which was a big part of the change in the church and a big part of the Renaissance.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dante- Inferno <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This book was only part of Dante’s very best work, The Divine Comedy, but it was amazing. It had a lot of religious views throughout the time. I would actually like to read a book that is modern day of this, with today’s political figures and religious beliefs, because that would be quite a story, just as this one was back in the 13th century. If you are looking for a book that has a great story line, I would definitely read this!
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Giovanni Boccaccio- The Decameron <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This book was a lot of short stories that all go together in sequence. Each story had something to do with the time period. The Decameron also talked about women and their role in society. If you would like to get a glimpse of what life was like back then, I would recommend this book. __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Guittone d’ Arezzo __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">- O Glorious Mother <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is one of the poems that show the major theme of religion. If you would like to read it, it is very inspirational how even back then in Renaissance times, you see the same feelings about some things such as love as you would today. It starts off as though it is just mentioning Mary, but it is kind of a letter to her and really interesting when you actually understand it. __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Petrarch __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">- The Canzoniere <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem/Epic is basically a whole book of poetry, about love and heartbreak which were some of Petrarch’s greatest works. I read one of the poems, and loved it. If you would like to read a love story, this would be Petrarch’s Canzoniere would be where you should start. Even though it was written centuries ago, it still relates to a lot of the problems in the world today. Whether it is just with friends or with others, this is a great poem to read. __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Guido Cavalcanti __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-As I’ve No Hope of Returning <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is one that is while interesting, kind of sad. If you were to read this, once again, be expecting to think about what you are reading. This poem is one of the poems that I would read just to kind of think about what life would be like if I weren’t here. Because for me, that’s what I think of as I read it. __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Torquato Tasso __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Hedge that Divides the Lovely <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is actually really sweet. It’s super short, but sweet. If you would like to read a short poem that will make you smile, this poem is the one to read. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">- Now The Waves Murmur <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is kind of soothing. For me personally, I would think that at some time someone once maybe read this as a bedtime story, because that’s what it makes me think of. If you would like to read a poem that is relaxing, I would recommend this one. __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ugo Foscolo __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-To the Night <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is about thinking in a new way and was interesting because of how it was written as one thing, but perceived as another, or at least that’s how I thought of it. If you like to read about the seasons, and how “night” is changed by each and every one of them, you will love this poem. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">-A Zacinto <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This poem is one of the most interesting poems I’ve ever really read. I may have read into it, a little too much, but it’s a great poem that gets your mind going and thinking about all kinds of things. It shows you a lot about how your innocence really makes you see everything in a new way. If you like reading that makes you think and uplift your spirits; this is a poem for you! __<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gacomo Leopardi __ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;">- To Himself <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> If you like to think about something, as in, you don’t really understand it the first time you read through it, you will love this poem. I read through it the first time and did not know what I was reading. The second time it made a little more sense, and the third time, I kind of knew what he was talking about. But each time I read this one, I found something I didn’t see before.
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[] - I used Poem Hunter to get all of my poems, except for Petrarch. [] "Petrarch." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. Document URL http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=SUIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1631005178&mode=view&userGroupName=parishigh&jsid=840b945905c8c095932a28fea134bab5 Gale Document Number: GALE|K1631005178
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cavallo, Jo Ann. "The Ghost of Boccaccio: Writings on Famous Women in Renaissance Italy." //Renaissance Quarterly// 59.4 (2006): 1173+. //Literature Resource Center//. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Document URL

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA157081705&v=2.1&u=parishigh&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

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 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gale Document Number: **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">GALE|A157081705