Tasso's art and afterlives in England : the Gerusalemme liberata in England

This interdisciplinary book examines the literary, artistic and biographical afterlives in England of the great Italian poet Torquato Tasso, from before his death in 1595 to the end of the nineteenth century. Focusing predominantly on the impact of his once famous epic poem __Gerusalemme liberata__ across a broad spectrum of arts, it aims to stimulate a revival of interest in an undeservedly neglected poetic masterpiece and its author, more than fifty years after the last book-length account of the poet in English. Tasso’s poem is remembered in Anglophone criticism today, if at all, as a principal model for the celebrated Bowre of Blisse episode in Spenser’s __The Faerie Queene__, a complex literary appropriation which this study re-appraises thoroughly, in relation to both previously undetected contemporary English poetic responses to Tasso’s enchantress Armida, as in Daniel’s __The Complaint of Rosamond__, and visual representations of the episode across Europe. The book also traces the reception in England of notable seventeenth-century depictions of scenes from Tasso by Van Dyck and Poussin, and explores the Italian poem’s prominent role in the development of opera on the London stage, in works by Dennis and Handel. A second strand focuses on the numerous English responses to Tasso’s troubled life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, biographical and literary, exemplified in Byron’s memorable impersonation of the poet’s voice in __The Lament of Tasso__. This interdisciplinary study examines the literary, artistic and biographical afterlives in England of the great sixteenth-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso, from before his death to the end of the nineteenth century. Focusing on the lasting impact of his once famous poem Gerusalemme liberata across a spectrum of arts, it aims to stimulate a revival of interest in a neglected poetic masterpiece and its author, some fifty years after the last account of the poet in English. The influence of Tasso's poem is traced and analysed in the literary works of Spenser, Milton, Shakespeare and Daniel, and consideration is also given to its impact on the visual and musical arts in England, in works by Van Dyck, Poussin and Handel. A second strand focuses on English responses to Tasso's troubled life in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, exemplified in Byron's memorable impersonation of the poet's voice in The Lament of Tasso. This study examines the literary, artistic and biographical afterlives in England of the great 16th-century Italian poet Torquato Tasso, from before his death to the end of the 19th century. Focusing on the lasting impact of his once famous poem 'Gerusalemme Liberata' across a spectrum of arts, it aims to stimulate a revival of interest in a neglected poetic masterpiece and its author, some 50 years after the last account of the poet in English. The influence of Tasso's poem is traced and analysed in the literary works of Spenser, Milton, Shakespeare and Daniel, and consideration is also given to its impact on the visual and musical arts in England, in works by Van Dyck, Poussin and Handel. A second strand focuses on English responses to Tasso's troubled life in the 18th and 19th centuries, exemplified in Byron's memorable impersonation of the poet's voice in 'The Lament of Tasso.' Cover -- Tasso's art and afterlives -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: 'I dote on Tasso' -- 1 'A l'apparir de la beltà novella / nasce un bisbiglio e 'l guardo ognun v'intende': the arrival of Gerusalemme liberata in Elizabethan England -- 2 'A place pickt out by choyce of best alyue, / That natures worke by art can imitate': the Bowre of Blisse and Armida's garden revisited -- 3 Gerusalemme liberata and the visual arts in England -- 4 'What enchanting Sound salutes my Ear?': Gerusalemme liberata and the early development of opera in England -- 5 'There are as many Tassos as there are Hamlets': representations of Tasso's life in England -- Conclusion: the emergence of Tasso's psychobiography -- Bibliography -- Index Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. `a L'apparir De La Belta Novella / Nasce Un Bisbiglio E `l Guardo Ognun V'intende': The Arrival Of Gerusalemme Liberata In Elizabethan England -- 2. `a Place Pickt Out By Choyce Of Best Alyue, / That Natures Worke By Art Can Imitate': The Bowre Of Blisse And Armida's Garden Revisited -- 3. Gerusalemme Liberata And The Visual Arts In England -- 4. `what Enchanting Sound Salutes My Ear?': Gerusalemme Liberata And The Early Development Of Opera In England -- 5. `there Are As Many Tassos As There Are Hamlets': Representations Of Tasso's Life In England. Jason Lawrence. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 221-230) And Index. In English With Some Text In Italian. Traces the impact of the great Italian poet’s neglected masterpiece across a broad spectrum of arts from the sixteenth to the late nineteenth centuries, focusing on, among many others, the works of Spenser, Milton, Shakespeare, Daniel, Van Dyck, Poussin, Handel and Byron. -- .