The Idea of Beauty in Italian Literature and Language : 'Il Buono Amore È Di Bellezza Disio'

Beauty is a central concept in the Italian cultural imagination throughout its history and in virtually all its manifestations. It particularly permeates the domains that have governed the construction of Italian identity: literature and language. The Idea of Beauty in Italian Literature and Language assesses this long tradition in a series of essays covering a wide chronological and thematic range, while crossing from historical linguistics to literary and cultural studies. It offers elements for reflection on cross-disciplinary approaches in the humanities, and demonstrates the power of beauty as a fundamental category beyond aesthetics. Contents Figures Introduction Chapter 1 Forms and Variations of Lemmata Indicating “Beauty” in Literary Italian and the Common Language Chapter 2 “Bellezze ed adornezze e piacimento”: The Concept of Beauty in the Sicilian School Chapter 3 Beauty as a Forma Mentis: Francis of Assisi Chapter 4 From Earthly Venus to Heavenly Venus: On the Evolution of the Concept of Beauty in Girolamo Benivieni Chapter 5 The “True Form” of Beauty: Poetry and Portraits from Petrarch to the Sixteenth Century Chapter 6 “Love is Naught But a Certain Desire to Enjoy Beauty”: Castiglione and Raffaello Chapter 7 The Principle of Beauty in the Literary Criticism of the Sixteenth Century Chapter 8 Beauty at the Limit: The Baroque “Body”, with Reference to Adonis Chapter 9 Words for Beauty: Giuseppe Parini between Ideal Cities and the Decadence of the World Chapter 10 Amorose e di galanteria: Considerations about the Language of Love, Beauty and Desire in Some Unpublished Poems by Giulio Bajamonti Chapter 11 “The Profound Beauty is Greatness”: Itinerary in Giovanni Boine’s Aesthetics Chapter 12 The Origins of Beauty in Leopardi’s Zibaldone Chapter 13 History of a Modest Beauty: Models of Woman’s Aesthetics from Fermo e Lucia to I promessi sposi Chapter 14 The “Second Beauty”: Ideas of Politeness and Beauty in Italian Books of Manners Chapter 15 Fosca and Her Sisters: Origins and Hypostases of the “Medusean Beauty” in the Narrative of the Scapigliatura Chapter 16 Reconsidering Fin de Siècle Aestheticism: The Case of Gabriele D’Annunzio Chapter 17 Paradise Saved and Lost of Fin de Siècle Aesthetics: Matelda and Mariana in the Works of Giovanni Pascoli Chapter 18 Eugenio Montale: For the “Incredible, Wonderful Face” of Clizia, between Photographs, Letters, the Palio and Other Verses Chapter 19 P.V. Tondelli and the Cannibals’ Generation in Search of the Lost Beauty Index of Concepts Index of Names Forms and variations of lemmata indicating 'beauty' in literary Italian and the common language / Rosario Coluccia -- "Love is naught but a certain desire to enjoy beauty" : Castiglione and Raffaello / Pasquale Sabbatino -- P.V. Tondelli and the Cannibals' generation in search of the lost beauty / Agata Pryciak This book assesses the pivotal role played by the concept of beauty in Italian literature and language in the construction of the Italian national identity.