Paper Topics: Paper #1

The first paper, due Friday, February 29 at class time, is an opportunity for you to pull together what you have learned so far, and for me to see how things are going. The papers should be about 1000 words in length, double-spaced, with 1" margins. Please use internal citations (author's last name, page #) in identifying sources according to the following format: "Good men, truly, are in every respect useful to everyone" (Erasmus, 89-90). I would like to see all of you draw on the texts in your work, with material directly cited from the sources. You have three topics from which to choose:

Topic #1: The classical revival. Define this phenomenon, and explain its significance in the Renaissance. In so doing, look carefully at the relevant primary sources, with help from King, lecture notes, and the commentary in Bartlett as secondary sources. What sorts of ideals are articulated in your excerpts from the writings of Cicero and Quintilian, and how and why were they influential in the Renaissance era? What do you see in the work of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch that illustrates these writers' understanding of their relationship to the literature and moral philosophy of the ancient world?

Topic #2: The political and social order in the Northern Italian city-states. What was special about these states, as a place in which the Renaissance emerged? How were they governed, and what political ideals were important? Look at Florence in particular, but also at Venice to compare and contrast the development of that republic with Florence. Villani's chronicle and the documents in Bartlett help us gain some insight into key events and institutions (guilds) in the history of Florence, while Bruni's rendition of the speech of Giano della Bella gives us a vivid picture of both the ideals behind the Ordinances of Justice and the reasons why change was necessary. Finally, Dante's Divine Comedy is riddled with references to the Florence and Italy of his era.

Topic #3: Dante. For this topic, you can focus only on Dante, and address either of the emphases in topics #1 or #2. For an emphasis on the classical revival, discuss Dante's relationship to the poets and philosophers of the ancient world, in light of the theological perspective of the work as a whole. By the time you conclude, explore how the beatific vision of the Paradiso illustrates the limits of human capabilities. For an emphasis on the Italian city-states, focus on Dante's commentary on figures from his own past whom he encounters on his journey to God. Place these experiences into the perspective of the work as a whole.

Laurel Carrington carringt@stolaf.edu
Most recent update: January 29, 2007