fifteenth-century guides to behaviour

Hi
I haven't posted anything yet but this belated reply may be of interest to Marion. Stephen Greenblatt's book, Sir Walter Raleigh: The Renaissance Man and His Roles, published in 1973, refers to both Nicoli Machiavelli and Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier. The latter, called Il Cortigiano, in Italian was begun in 1508 and published in 1528 and is a guidebook on etiquette for the perfect Renaissance courtier. It was translated into English in 1561 by Thomas Hoby. It may be of interest to you.
Elaine

Have some vague recollection that Castiglione's model Gentleman was painter Raffaello Sanzio, called Raphael. If true, it's quite a break with the tradition whereby the examples were nearly always determined by social rank (the old nobility). Does anyone else recall?

Judy
 
Loyaulte me lie


________________________________
From: ellrosa1452 <kathryn198@...>
To:
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2012 3:33 PM
Subject: fifteenth-century guides to behaviour


 
Hi
I haven't posted anything yet but this belated reply may be of interest to Marion. Stephen Greenblatt's book, Sir Walter Raleigh: The Renaissance Man and His Roles, published in 1973, refers to both Nicoli Machiavelli and Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier. The latter, called Il Cortigiano, in Italian was begun in 1508 and published in 1528 and is a guidebook on etiquette for the perfect Renaissance courtier. It was translated into English in 1561 by Thomas Hoby. It may be of interest to you.
Elaine

Hello
Surely the works considered are Renaissance models that are not universally consulted in the C15th.Guide books to Chivalry
were more likely to influence.Courtly love was probably on its way out,if it hadn't already departed,but Raymond Lull would be consulted.There was also an extensive Arthurian corpus which graced the libraries of princes and nobles.Romantic chivalry held its own to be incorporated into the Renaissance scene,but feudal chivalry was badly damaged in the C15th,in civil wars like that of Armagnacs v. Burgundians in France and the Cousins War in England.Feudal chivalry might be marked as reaching its nadir at the Bridge of Montereau or at Bosworth  for those who like a line drawn in the sands of time.Reflect that the most popular books in Tudor times would be Peninsula Romances like Amadis of Gaul,which created a new etiquette that would be questioned by Andrew Marvell addressing his coy mistress.Some would say  along came Cervantes.It is too simple to think of Castiglione v. Machiavelli ,when just a little late,nearer the time of Raleigh there would be Bacon and Montaigne,all of them more influential in the C16th.The seeds of the Renaissance were planted in England by men like Tiptoft and perhaps Rivers,but the earlier Medieval model kept a firm hold for most of the C15th.
Neville Sibery.