Castiglione in Inghilterra nella storia della critica comparata

Abstract

The objective of this study is to offer an overview of Baldassare Castiglione's influence on English literature, especially on writers pertaining to the Elisabethan era. The introduction primarily discusses the concept of courtesy during the Renaissance in both Italy and England and proceeds to portray the various courtesy books which were written and published first in the Italian peninsula and later in England. Chapters I to V discuss the various apparent motivations which, according to the various studies compiled by different scholars, Castiglione induced on various English authors - Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, Ascham, Marlowe and others. The conclusion sub-divides the opinions of the various scholars into three categories: those who were adamant in their belief that Castiglione did actually influence English authors; those who proposed a possible influence of the Italian writer on English literary works; those who suggested perceptible similarities and parallelisms between Castiglione and English writers. From this study one comprehends that Castiglione has indeed exerted a considerable but somewhat superficial influence on English literature. The real importance of Castiglione's Cortegiano lies in having presented (in dialogical form) the ideal model for the creation of the perfect courtier.