Synopses & Reviews
One of the most important authors of the Middle Ages, Petrarch occupies a complex position: historically, he is a medieval author, but, philosophically, he heralds humanism and the Renaissance. Teachers of Petrarch's
Canzoniere and his formative influence on the canon of Western European poetry face particular challenges. Petrarch's poetic style brings together the classical tradition, Christianity, an exalted sense of poetic vocation, and an obsessive love for Laura during her life and after her death in ways that can seem at once very strange and--because of his style's immense influence--very familiar to students. This volume aims to meet the varied needs of instructors, whether they teach Petrarch in Italian or in translation, in surveys or in specialized courses, by providing a wealth of pedagogical approaches to Petrarch and his legacy.
Part 1, "Materials," reviews the extensive bibliography on Petrarch and Petrarchism, covering editions and translations of the Canzoniere secondary works, and music and other audiovisual and electronic resources. Part 2, "Approaches," opens with essays on teaching the Canzoniere and continues with essays on teaching the Petrarchan tradition. Some contributors use the design and structure of the Canzoniere as entryways into the work; others approach it through discussion of Petrarch's literary influences and subject matter or through the context of medieval Christianity and culture. The essays on Petrarchism map the poet's influence on the Italian lyric tradition as well as on other national literatures, including Spanish, French, English, and Russian.
Review
"A solid and much-needed volume. There is a nice balance between established scholars and younger ones, as well as between essays that range over Petrarch's entire career and those that focus on individual themes or poems." --Jane Tylus, New York University
Table of Contents
PrefacePART ONE: MATERIALS
Editions and Translations
Required and Recommended Readings for Undergraduates
The Instructor's Library
Reference Works
Biographies and Background Works
Works on the Development of the Canzoniere
Collections of Essays
Essays
Petrarchism
Electronic and Audiovisual Resources
Texts and Studies
Audio Resources
Iconography
PART TWO: APPROACHES
Introduction: The Canzoniere and the Petrarchan Tradition in the Classroom
The Canzoniere's Form: Design, Themes, Style
Approaches to the Design of Petrarch's Canzoniere
Germaine Warkentin
Petrarch, Laura, and the Canzoniere
Aldo S. Bernardo
Petrarch's Lyric Poetry: Prosody, Rhymes, Forms
Christopher Kleinhenz
Using a Concordance to Teach Petrarch's Canzoniere
Madison U. Sowell
"Parole Estreme": Canzoniere
Christopher Martin
The Canzoniere and the Life
The Life and Works as Journey
Theodore J. Cachey, Jr.
Love and Misogamy in the Age of Dante and Petrarch
Fabian Alfie
Solitude and Inwardness: Approaching the Canzoniere through De vita solitaria and the Secretum
Jobst Welge
Petrarch and the Ethics of Writing and Reading
Massimo Lollini
Teaching Petrarch's Literary Influences
Petrarch's Vernacular Poetry and the Latin Poetic Canon: The Poetics of Classical Philology
Ilaria Marchesi and Simone Marchesi
Echoes and Mirrors: Dante's Shadow in Petrarch's Canzoniere
Simone Marchesi
Boccaccio and Petrarch
Laurie Shepard
Teaching Petrarch through Music
"Another Petrarch": Teaching Petrarch through Music
Marc Vanscheeuwijck
Promoting Student Understanding of Petrarch's Canzoniere through Popular Music
Silvia Ross
Petrarch and the Italian Tradition
Petrarch's Lyric Progeny
Michael Sherberg
Petrarch's Women
Fiora A. Bassanese
Tradition and Imitation in Petrarchan Poetics: The Song of the Nightingale
Elisabetta Properzi Nelsen
Petrarch and the Search for Antica Virtù
Elizabeth H. D. Mazzocco
Teaching Petrarchism in the Context of Post-Risorgimento Poetry
Andrea Dini
Petrarch in a Comparative Context
On Teaching the Canzoniere to Students of Spanish
Leah Middlebrook
Exploring Petrarchan Subjectivity in the Early Modern French Lyric
Deborah Lesko Baker
English Petrarchism
William J. Kennedy
Teaching Petrarch and Shakespeare
Tanya Pollard
Petrarch in English after 1750
Edoardo Zuccato
Russian Petrarchism
Tom Dolack
The Canzoniere in a Comparative Literature Curriculum
Christopher Livanos
Notes on Contributors
Survey Respondents
Works Cited
Index