Italian Renaissance

St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures CONTEXT

Context: Saint Francis of Assisi (originally Giovanni Pietro di Bernardone) was considered revolutionary during 12th century because the people of Italy during this time were living a life of luxury while claiming to be devout Christians. As a result, St. Francis created "The Rule" which meant renouncing to all material possessions, the practice of mendicancy, whilst adopting a life of extreme poverty which Francis believed was the best way to imitate Christ. This was the rise of the Franciscans. This was a reaction of the corruption that had been occuring in Italy and as a result bishops were losing their credibility as religious men since they were taking part in living a life of wealth.

Francis Petrarch, "The Ascent of Mount Ventoux," The Life of Solitude I.6, Canzoniere 128 THE CONTEXT

Petrarch, the author of this letter is considered the founder of "humanism". Humanism was a dynamic cultural movement that spread throughout Europe (mid 1300's) and revolutionized society based on classical culture; inspiring the people to reshape their governments, create new art and to reinvent themselves. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems. A big part about humanism is the emphasis on the individual and trying to improve their quality of life here rather than thinking about the afterlife or "heaven".

Guido Guinizzelli, "Love returns always to a noble heart" THE FORM

The emphasis on love in the canzone is a symbolism of interiority, that is, the true interior inspiration, the concept that concept that love is dictating to the poet what to write. Love was a topic of study by the scholars in this university culture. This canzone is another example of an educated man writing for his educated friends or peers. The emphasis on nobility in the canzone is referring to spiritual nobility that was believed to be latent in men and could only be awakened by love.

GIACOMO DA LENTINI, "I HAVE SET MY HEART OF SERVING GOD" MEANING

The sonnet is an unresolved tension between the poet's allegiance to the lady (or the donna) and his allegiance to God. He is conflicted between the love and the proposal he has given to serve God and the love he has for his "lady" that he comes to realize that this "heaven" is only truly worth it if he sees his "lady" there in glory. The relationship between the poet and the lady is very "courtly" because there is no sexual desire "I do not say this with such an intention, that I would want to commit a sin", it is more abstract which was a common theme for the "sweet new style" (dolce stil novo).

Francis Petrarch, "The Ascent of Mount Ventoux," The Life of Solitude I.6, Canzoniere 128 THE FORM

The top of a mountain or the peak of a mountain is a common theme in Italian literature. Dante's "peak" was God and heaven which signified all that is important and the goal of man's life. Whereas, for Petrarch, his "peak" was what he found on top of Mount Ventoux which was himself. Petrarch finding himself on top of the mountain is an implication of the importance of interiority and one's soul. "I was simply trying to avoid the exertion of the ascent; but no human ingenuity can alter the nature of things, or cause anything to reach a height by going down." The hardships Petrarch faced and the determination to continue his climb symbolizes his commitment to search for the truth human means based purely on personal interest. He does not climb this mountain for a God or anyone else, he does it for himself.

Guido Guinizzelli, "Love returns always to a noble heart" MEANING

This was the beginning of a conciliation between love and divinity; God and the lady (love interest). Guinizzelli is more blunt and direct about his love for this "lady", whereas da Lentini was more conservative. Lentini seemed to be more conservative because with his poetry it was a conflict of choosing between the lover and God, but Guinizzelli in his canzone plants the seed of the idea that there is no need to choose between the two, because in his poetry he shapes and illustrates this woman that is earthly yet "devine". He does this by writing about her appearance and how it resembles that of an angel, a creature of "God's realm". "She had the likeness of an angel from your kingdom. It's not my fault if I fell in love with her". This was paving the path to making "the lady" into an angel as Dante later did for Beatrice. It is also important to note that the group of poets which Guinizzelli was a part of were trying to redefine what it meant to be a "noble" and having worth based on their intellect rather than by "blood". Guinizzelli

Guido Guinizzelli, "Love returns always to a noble heart" CONTEXT

Written as a manifesto of the communal societies in the 14th century. Guinizzelli lived in Sienna during this time, which was a city state during this period. So therefore, the sonnett was a message of the current stage of government.

GIACOMO DA LENTINI, "I HAVE SET MY HEART OF SERVING GOD" THE FORM

the form of the sonnet is Sicilian which is divided into two parts by a change of rhyme. The divisions built in the sonnet are a reflection of the poet-lover who is himself divided into two alliances. The importance of these sonnets or texts was that they were meant to be read by within the court by the educated men that formed it.

Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron Introduction to the First Day, II.5, IV.5 THE FORM

the reason why Boccaccio's Decameron is nicknamed "the Human Comedy" is because in contrast to Dante's Divine Comedy where if focused on the soul's preparation for the Christian afterlife, Boccaccio focuses on the earthly adventures of the middle class and the merchant lifestyle. Many of the stories of the Decameron are based on the city and embraces a more secular style of writing. Also, his stories are mostly based in the city, he brings the "magic" of those things that based on previous literature could happen only in forests or in oceans which was very new at the time.

Francis Petrarch, "The Ascent of Mount Ventoux," The Life of Solitude I.6, Canzoniere 128 THE MEANING

this letter is mainly about Petrarch climbing the highest peak near his home in southern France. After he read a passage written by the Ancient Roman historian Livy, describing Philip of Macedon's climb of a mountain in Thessaly, Petrarch in inspired to climb Mount Ventoux. The whole letter is written to his former confessor and in which he describes the struggles he is faced with during his journey up to the peak of Mount Ventoux.

Giacomo da Lentini, "I have set my heart of serving God" CONTEXT

this text was written during the ruling of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Frederick was an advocate of poetry who during his ruling helped the Sicilian School flourish and founded the University of Naples (the only university of state origin during the middle ages) wich were both aimed towards literature and inspired by troubadour tradition of poetry. Frederick's court was important and unique to this time. The people who composed the court were of all different backgrounds and disciplines. During this time they dropped the political aspect of poetry and began writing about love. "Courtly love" was a favored theme of medieval literature; a poetic reflection of feudal society. This is when love poetry becomes more abstract which can be detected in the sonnet.

St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures: THE FORM

A revolutionary characteristic of The Canticle of the Creatures was that St. Francis wrote the poem in the language of the people. During this time, most texts were written in Latin. St. Francis' purpose was for the poem to be recited as prayer (the repetition of "be praised" is important) by the common people. Since St. Francis participated in a very concrete and civic way in public life by preaching to the people. This was prominent in the building of a community.

Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron Introduction to the First Day, II.5, IV.5 THE CONTEXT

Boccaccio is one of the greatest writers in the Italian language. His masterpiece, the Decameron which has been nicknamed "The Human Comedy" is a collection of novellas. This is composed of 100 different stories told by a group of seven young women and three young men who meet at a church and look for shelter in a villa outside Florence to escape the Black Death. The plague was a very significant event in Boccaccio's life and it is clear in his writings. In contrast to Dante's Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy), there is little to no judgement of morality in the stories. The stories are meant to describe the society that the plague created which was one whose morals had been broken down, the loss of women's modesty, family and community ties breaking down and subtle distinctions of the class.

Giovanni Boccaccio, Decameron Introduction to the First Day, II.5, IV.5 THE MEANING

Like mentioned previously, the structure of society and morality began to decay during the Black Death. A specific example of this is " ...unheard-of behavior began to occur. It no longer mattered to any woman, no matter how lovely, beautiful or refined, once she became sick, if she were cared for by a male servant. Whether he was young or not, without any sense of shame she would expose any part of her body to him, as she would to a woman, because the illness demanded it..." Because there is no doubt that Boccaccio was an eyewitness to the Black Death, he also points out the subtle distinctions of class which once were significant, "it was a time when the burial of men differed little from the handling of dead goats."

St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Creatures MEANING

Meaning: The Canticle of Creatures shows a clear optimistic point of view about life and Death. "Bear with tribulations and and infirmities: blessed be those who suffer all in peace for they, Most high, shall all be crowned by you." St. Francis here speaks about the "tribulations" or sufferings of life and how we must bare with them since the important part is the "after life" where one will be crowned by God. Only if we renounce to the life of extravagance that was booming in Florence at the time that St. Francis wrote this poem.