Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472) is the essence of what people call the "Reniassance man," having the kind of intellect that was well-versed in many different fields. His Book of the Family is a piece of moral philosophy, but he was also a painter and architect of great renown, who composed works of theory in those subjects. At left you see the facade of the Santa Maria Novella, a church in Florence that he designed in a neo-classical style. His passion for order is reflected in the symmetry and balance of the design. You will find that same ideal in the third book of the Family: a place for everything, and everything in its place.

During the 14th century and onward, a group of intellectuals known as humanists revolted against the speculative philosophy and theology being pursued in the medieval universities. They chose instead to focus on the studia humanitatis, the studies relating to life of human beings in the world: political theory, ethics, and economics. The term "economics" literally means "household management," and that is very much the category in which we can place today's reading.

The Alberti family were a wealthy and powerful Florentine clan, but they fell into a rancorous feud with a rival clan, the Albizzi, and ended up banished from Florence. The ban was lifted in 1428, but in the early decades of the 15th century the Alberti lived in exile, a condition that is reflected in the dialogue. Our author was illegitimate, and he himself never married, facts which suggest that the ideal family we read about in this selection is something he wished for rather than achieved in his own life.

Questions and comments:

All of these questions address details of the text, but I would like you to connect these details to arrive at a sense of what Gianozzo's prescriptions imply for both men and women as a way of life.

Laurel Carrington carringt@stolaf.edu
Most recent update: January 7, 2008

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