Italian 731, ‘L’armi, l’amore, e le arti ‘: Ariosto and the Renaissance Epic.
This course will examine Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso (1532) as an example of an Italian Renaissance epic, which quickly achieved the status of a classic in a vernacular language. Much emphasis will be placed on the poem as a product of its historical moment, a time of political crisis and cultural change. We will consider how Ariosto (and to a lesser extent Boiardo his predecessor and Tasso his successor) renovated the popular genre of romance into a new kind of narrative through the imitation of classical epic. In addition to reading Ariosto’s poem slowly and deeply, we will survey seminal critical studies, as well as become familiar with the latest critical trends.
Tuesdays 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Prof. Phillips-Court
phillipscour@wisc.edu