Conte Baldassarre Castiglione

"The Book of the Courtier (1528) is a series of fictional conversations by courtiers of the Duke of Urbino that take place in 1507, when Baldesar Castiglione was himself attache to the Duke. Today, the Book of the Courtier remains the most illuminating account of court life and its culture in the Renaissance and of what it took to be the "Perfect Courtier" and "Court Lady." The text of this Norton Critical Edition is Charles Singleton's translation, the most acclaimed and accurate English translation available. It is accompanied by the detailed annotations of both translator and editor." "Following the text are ten seminal assessments of The Book of the Courtier, representing the best interpretations from the United States, England, and Italy. Contributors include Amedeo Quondam, Harry Berger Jr., Virginia Cox, Eduardo Saccone, Joan Kelly-Gadol, David Quint, Wayne Rebhorn, James Hankins, Peter Burke, and Daniel Javitch." "A Selected Bibliography, Chronology, and Index of Persons and Items are also included."--BOOK JACKET.

An exhaustive Introduction to authors Castiglione and Falcone, a philologically rigorous transcription of their individual works, critical apparatus, a modern English translation, and a rich commentary contrasting and comparing the poetry that these two close friends produced, viewed within the broader context of early Cinquecento court culture --

"Baldesar Castiglione, an Italian diplomat and man of letters began to write The Book of the Courtier while he was attached to the court of the Duke of Urbino and finished it by 1516. It was published by Aldo in Venice in 1528 and almost immediately achieved international renown, being translated into English by Sir Thomas Hoby as early as 1561. Today it still remains the most vivid picture ever set down of Italian court life during the Renaissance; and in this new, unexpurgated translation has been, the discussions it records of what constitutes the "Perfect courtier" - and his ideal counterpart, the court lady - have an astonishing freshness and pertinence. Here is the Renaissance in its most charming aspect, with revealing sidelights on its social life, ethics, politics, humor, sports, and relations between the sexes. The 32 pages of pictures, chosen especially for this edition, portray some of the famous personages, scenes, and activities described in the book." -- from back cover.