Poggio Bracciolini
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 10:42, 9 August 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 16:31, 25 October 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| '''(Gian Francesco) Poggio Bracciolini''' ([[February 11]], [[1380]] – [[October 30]], [[1459]]) was one of the most important [[Italian Renaissance]] [[humanism|humanist]] [[Renaissance literature|autors]]. He recovered a great number of [[Latin literature|classical texts]], mostly lying forgotten in German and French monastic libraries, and [[manuscript culture|disseminated copies]] among the educated world. He is best remembered today for his ''[[Facetiae]]'', a collection of [[humorous]] and [[indecent]] tales, which included tales such as "[[Of a Fool, Who Thought His Wife Had Two Openings]]". | '''(Gian Francesco) Poggio Bracciolini''' ([[February 11]], [[1380]] – [[October 30]], [[1459]]) was one of the most important [[Italian Renaissance]] [[humanism|humanist]] [[Renaissance literature|autors]]. He recovered a great number of [[Latin literature|classical texts]], mostly lying forgotten in German and French monastic libraries, and [[manuscript culture|disseminated copies]] among the educated world. He is best remembered today for his ''[[Facetiae]]'', a collection of [[humorous]] and [[indecent]] tales, which included tales such as "[[Of a Fool, Who Thought His Wife Had Two Openings]]". | ||
| + | == Works == | ||
| + | |||
| + | Poggio, like Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini (who became [[Pope Pius II|Pius II]]), was a great traveller, and wherever he went he brought enlightened powers of observation trained in liberal studies to bear upon the manners of the countries he visited. We owe to his pen curious remarks on [[England|English]] and Swiss customs, valuable notes on the remains of antique art in Rome, and a singularly striking portrait of [[Jerome of Prague]] as he appeared before the judges who condemned him to the stake. It is necessary to dwell at length upon Poggio's devotion to the task of recovering the classics, and upon his disengagement from all but humanistic interests, because these were the most marked feature of his character and career. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In literature he embraced the whole sphere of contemporary studies, and distinguished himself as an [[orator]], a writer of [[rhetoric]]al treatises, a [[panegyric|panegyrist]] of the dead, a violent impugner of the living, a translator from the [[Greek language|Greek]], an epistolographer and grave historian and a facetious compiler of ''fabliaux'' in Latin. On his moral essays it may suffice to notice the dissertations ''On Nobility'', ''On Vicissitudes of Fortune'', ''On the Misery of Human Life'', ''On the Infelicity of Princes'' and ''On Marriage in Old Age''. These compositions belonged to a species which, since [[Petrarch]] set the fashion, were very popular among Italian scholars. They have lost their value, except for the few matters of fact embedded in a mass of commonplace meditation, and for some occasionally brilliant illustrations. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Poggio's ''History of Florence'', written in avowed imitation of [[Livy]]'s manner, requires separate mention, since it exemplifies by its defects the weakness of that merely stylistic treatment which deprived so much of [[Leonardo Bruni|Bruni]]'s, [[Carlo Aretino]]'s and [[Pietro Bembo|Bembo]]'s work of historical weight. Bracciolini's ''Facetiae'', a collection of humorous and indecent tales expressed in the purest Latin Poggio could command are the works most enjoyed today: they are available in several English translations. This book is chiefly remarkable for its unsparing [[satire]]s on the monastic orders and the secular clergy. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the way of many humanists of his time, Poggio himself wrote only in [[Latin]], and translated works from [[Greek language|Greek]] into that language. His letters are full of learning, charm, detail, and amusing personal attack on his enemies and colleagues. It is also noticeable as illustrating the Latinizing tendency of an age which gave classic form to the lightest essays of the fancy. Poggio, it may be observed, was a fluent and copious writer in the Latin tongue, but not an elegant scholar. His knowledge of the ancient authors was wide, but his taste was not select, and his erudition was superficial. His translation of [[Xenophon]]'s ''Cyropaedia'' into Latin cannot be praised for accuracy. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Among contemporaries he passed for one of the most formidable [[polemic]]al or gladiatorial rhetoricians; and a considerable section of his extant works are invectives. One of these, the ''Dialogue against Hypocrites'', was aimed in a spirit of vindictive hatred at the vices of ecclesiastics; another, written at the request of Nicholas V, covered [[Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy|Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, the Antipope Felix V]] with inventive scurrilous abuse. But his most famous compositions in this kind are the personal invectives which he discharged against [[Francesco Filelfo]] and [[Lorenzo Valla]]. All the resources of a copious and unclean Latin vocabulary were employed to degrade the objects of his satire; and every crime of which humanity is capable was ascribed to them without discrimination. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In Filelfo and Valla, Poggio found his match; and Italy was amused for years with the spectacle of their indecent combats. To dwell upon such literary infamies would be below the dignity of the historian, were it not that these habits of the early Italian humanists imposed a fashion upon Europe which extended to the later age of [[Joseph Scaliger|Scaliger]]'s contentions with [[Gaspar Scioppius|Scioppius]] and [[John Milton|Milton]]'s with [[Claudius Salmasius|Salmasius]]. | ||
| + | |||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
| [[Category:canon]] | [[Category:canon]] | ||
Revision as of 16:31, 25 October 2009
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
(Gian Francesco) Poggio Bracciolini (February 11, 1380 – October 30, 1459) was one of the most important Italian Renaissance humanist autors. He recovered a great number of classical texts, mostly lying forgotten in German and French monastic libraries, and disseminated copies among the educated world. He is best remembered today for his Facetiae, a collection of humorous and indecent tales, which included tales such as "Of a Fool, Who Thought His Wife Had Two Openings".
Works
Poggio, like Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini (who became Pius II), was a great traveller, and wherever he went he brought enlightened powers of observation trained in liberal studies to bear upon the manners of the countries he visited. We owe to his pen curious remarks on English and Swiss customs, valuable notes on the remains of antique art in Rome, and a singularly striking portrait of Jerome of Prague as he appeared before the judges who condemned him to the stake. It is necessary to dwell at length upon Poggio's devotion to the task of recovering the classics, and upon his disengagement from all but humanistic interests, because these were the most marked feature of his character and career.
In literature he embraced the whole sphere of contemporary studies, and distinguished himself as an orator, a writer of rhetorical treatises, a panegyrist of the dead, a violent impugner of the living, a translator from the Greek, an epistolographer and grave historian and a facetious compiler of fabliaux in Latin. On his moral essays it may suffice to notice the dissertations On Nobility, On Vicissitudes of Fortune, On the Misery of Human Life, On the Infelicity of Princes and On Marriage in Old Age. These compositions belonged to a species which, since Petrarch set the fashion, were very popular among Italian scholars. They have lost their value, except for the few matters of fact embedded in a mass of commonplace meditation, and for some occasionally brilliant illustrations.
Poggio's History of Florence, written in avowed imitation of Livy's manner, requires separate mention, since it exemplifies by its defects the weakness of that merely stylistic treatment which deprived so much of Bruni's, Carlo Aretino's and Bembo's work of historical weight. Bracciolini's Facetiae, a collection of humorous and indecent tales expressed in the purest Latin Poggio could command are the works most enjoyed today: they are available in several English translations. This book is chiefly remarkable for its unsparing satires on the monastic orders and the secular clergy.
In the way of many humanists of his time, Poggio himself wrote only in Latin, and translated works from Greek into that language. His letters are full of learning, charm, detail, and amusing personal attack on his enemies and colleagues. It is also noticeable as illustrating the Latinizing tendency of an age which gave classic form to the lightest essays of the fancy. Poggio, it may be observed, was a fluent and copious writer in the Latin tongue, but not an elegant scholar. His knowledge of the ancient authors was wide, but his taste was not select, and his erudition was superficial. His translation of Xenophon's Cyropaedia into Latin cannot be praised for accuracy.
Among contemporaries he passed for one of the most formidable polemical or gladiatorial rhetoricians; and a considerable section of his extant works are invectives. One of these, the Dialogue against Hypocrites, was aimed in a spirit of vindictive hatred at the vices of ecclesiastics; another, written at the request of Nicholas V, covered Amadeus VIII, Duke of Savoy, the Antipope Felix V with inventive scurrilous abuse. But his most famous compositions in this kind are the personal invectives which he discharged against Francesco Filelfo and Lorenzo Valla. All the resources of a copious and unclean Latin vocabulary were employed to degrade the objects of his satire; and every crime of which humanity is capable was ascribed to them without discrimination.
In Filelfo and Valla, Poggio found his match; and Italy was amused for years with the spectacle of their indecent combats. To dwell upon such literary infamies would be below the dignity of the historian, were it not that these habits of the early Italian humanists imposed a fashion upon Europe which extended to the later age of Scaliger's contentions with Scioppius and Milton's with Salmasius.
