The Book of the Courtier

Rating:
Summary: Boring Baldassare's Book
Review: An awful, boring book. One of the most dreadful things I have ever been forced to read.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening look into Renaisance Society
Review: Castiglione's "Courtier" is one of many books outlining protocol and proper behavior of the sophisticated elite. It might suffice to say that he was in some way the Emily Post of his era however, it seems that this work was more far reaching than this. The Courtier is a fascinating book that is actually more useful in studying the renaissance than Machiavelli's "The Prince" (which I do recommend as well) since its detail on why people should act as proscribed is directly taken from real events and people and it is less a work of philosophy and more a work centered about real action in living. I recommend this work highly to everyone wishing to learn more about this age. This version is far better than the one I first read and it offers decent commentary to help elucidate the reader.

Castiglione was extraordinarily fond of Federigo the duke of Urbino with whom he fictitiously converses in this work. I am inclined to believe, though possibly naively, that the fictitious conversations outlined in this work, though not actual, may have been a summation of actual conversations that Castiglione and Federigo actually had. We should remember that Federigo was a model duke and Urbino was the model court of renaissance Italy. Federigo was a lover of learning and the arts and an able ruler willing to give audience to any of his subjects. He also was a more than able military commander who was just in to his men and equally just to those whom he fought against. In short he was the finest example of a renaissance prince. Urbino, though far smaller than Florence, Venice, Genoa or Rome was a very well organized and lovely court that was a favorite place, not only for Castiglione, but also for many artists including Leonardo Da Vinci. Putting all of this in context it is understandable why it made sense for Castiglione to use Federigo as his model in writing this book and it also explains one reason why it was such an immediate success among all of the Italian nobility. Naturally they read it for different reasons than you will but this book had lasting appeal and should be regarded as a classic work.

One reason this book is so interesting is that it is the outline of protocol for courtiers of the Italian Renaissance. Pondering this one might ask the question "why did Castiglione feel he had to write this work?" I can assure you his aims were quite different from those of the handbag maven Kate Spade who has recently issued a series of books along the same vein as The Courtier for today's yuppie elite and their "wannabee" counterparts. I surmise simply that this book needed to be written because their was an essential break in culture of the nobles of the Renaissance and those of the Middle Ages. However this break was by no means sudden and the crudeness and bad manners of the Middle ages did not die quickly especially among the rural nobility. Even so Castiglione saw a benefit from everyone "working off of the same page" and thus he wrote that page.

If you are studying the Renaissance it is probable that you will read some short excerpt of this book. While enlightening as that small cut may be it pales in comparison to the entire work. Sociologists, historians, scholars, and interested people will all get something out of reading this book. It is not imposing and dry as it may appear. Though the language may be dense at times Castiglione is kind to his readers by making the work enjoyable and easy to read. Modeling the work after conversations naturally lightens the work and it really is not that long of a work anyway. I rate this version as the best I have seen and think that you will do a great service to yourself in reading this.

-- Ted Murena

Rating:
Summary: The perfect courtier
Review: Castiglione's "The Courtier", a landmark in Renaissance literature, is a treatise presented in dialogue form, offering hints on how the courtier ought to act, to win the favours of ladies, to comport himself and - to fight. Contrary to my first expectations, it is no less practical and realistic than Machiavelli's "Prince"; Castiglione may seem somehow unfashionable to the modern reader, with his stress on decorum, honour and the importance of birthright, but has precepts endure, and can be just as readily applied in a court of the sixteenth century as in the present...

Rating:
Summary: The Book of The Courtier - amendments for earlier reviews
Review: my dear nessie monster,

i think people would take your review more seriously if you managed to keep it in the right century! 15th!!!

The main debate was whether to use old tuscan Italian or the new contemporary Italian of which Castiglione finally decided upon. It was this use of contemporary language which made it so popular, and therefore went on to numerous translations. Castiglione was the 'Mick Jagger' of his day, assisted by his decision to appeal to mass readership. If anyone wants to read an example of blinkered feminism then take a look at Joan Kelly-Gadol's piece in the Singleton edition.

Rating:
Summary: Readable and fresh-- not dry at all.
Review: The Book of the Courtier is one of those books that you hear frequently cited, but rarely actually read. I, at least, would like to bear witness that it would have been a shame if it had remained unread. I expected it to take me a while to wade through and I expected it to be dense and difficult to penetrate. What I got was a book that felt modern, lucid, and nearly compulsively readable.

The book is structured as a conversation game carried out the court of the Duke of Urbino in the rooms of his wife Elisabetta Gonzaga. In four books, different members of the court sketch out the ideal Courtier and the ideal Lady. The books treat various subjects, including the nature of grace, love, humor, gender equality, and necessary skills. There are obviously quite a few details relevant exclusively to the time, but these didn't distract from the main points of the book, but layered it instead in a way that made me think about how the details of our lives now were likely to be viewed in 500 years.

Castiglione is perceptive and witty and somehow quite loving in the way he draws the people in the book-- both the "real" people having the conversation, and the imaginary ideal people being described. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it. You don't need to be a scholar to enjoy it as well.

Rating:
Summary: Glimpse of Italian Renaissance Court Life
Review: this candid look into 16th century italian court lfe as presented by Castiglione delivers a most interesting look at the renaissance period. castiglione, along with others attempt to portray and describe both the perfect courtier and the perfect woman. over 490 years after first published, this work still serves as a renaissance classic

Rating:
Summary: Glimpse of Italian Renaissance Court Life
Review: this candid look into 16th century italian court lfe as presented by Castiglione delivers a most interesting look at the renaissance period. castiglione, along with others attempt to portray and describe both the perfect courtier and the perfect woman. over 490 years after first published, this work still serves as a renaissance classic

Rating:
Summary: Renaissance Classic
Review: Whether or not this work can be considered relevant in today's society is not a factor here. As a testimony to fifteenth century Italian Court Life it is unparalleled.
This delightful four-part book at the social nobility of the Italian Renaissance opens with an apology by Baldesar on the quality of his writing. Something that was clearly debated after Petrarch, Dante and Boccaccio as there is somewhat of a lengthier side discussion on the merits of using the vernacular in written speech partway through the first 'book'.
The 'handbook' opens with the matriarchal Duchess ordering that a game be played and that signora Emilia decide the nature of it. It is first set to Count Lodovico to describe those qualities best attributed to a courtier with the rest of the 'players' questioning or discussing his points further.
The Count states that a good courtier should possess charm, be handsome, be of noble birth, modest, physically fit, be good at sports, should both observe and imitate those good qualities of other courtiers, be a good dancer, have an appreciation of music, letters and art, not be affectatious, be an above average scholar in the humanities and that his first and truest profession be that of arms. Quite a long section is taken with a development on the theory of writing and letters which has many references to the desired quality of those in the ancient world. Indeed, Castiglione holds up those practices of the ancient world in high esteem as being worthy of the perfect courtier.
The second book is to be continued by Duke Federico as to how and when the courtier should put the desired courtier qualities into practice. Castiglione prefaces the second book with a justification of why old people see the future as a depraved version of their golden era - almost a youth's retort to the aged question of rebelliousness.
Federico opens by stating he believes the courtier should be considered, virtuous and adhere to certain rules. Above all else he must have good judgment. The second book is frequently 'territorial' in nature, particularly in the section espoused by Bernardo Bibbiena on the three types of pleasantries. Namely: long and amusing narrative ; spontaneous thrust of a cutting remark (including puns) ; practical jokes. It is in the latter, which includes tales, that the poking of fun at inhabitants of various cities (for example, Sienans, Fiorentines, Brescians) occurs. Federico earlier makes mention that no young man should attempt wisdom and that no courtier should socialize overly with those beneath his station taking care in choosing your associates. The second 'book' is effectively in two parts - Duke Federico's discussion on the rules of courtiership, Bernardo's discussion of the three types of pleasantries with many anecdotes to prove his points and then finishes with a epilogue discussing those practical jokes played by women after Gaspare denounces the practice.
This proves a neat lead in to the third book for the Magnifico Giuliano to discuss fashioning a Court lady. As signora Emilia puts it: "To prove it, consider that virtue is feminine whereas vice is masculine."
The third book is prefaced by Castiglione with short discourse on the superiority of the Court of Urbino to all the other Courts of Italy. The Magnifico then addresses the Duchess directly stating that a woman must not "resemble a man as regards her ways, manners, words, gestures and bearing." and must be beyond reproach or suspicion. He draw many parallels with the perfect courtier, then espouses excellence in subject knowledge, discretion, prudence purity, magnanimity, and appearance. The Magnifico then gives us many stories about great women, ancient stories from Camma to Argentina, from Roma toTheodolina, Theodora and Mathilda, medieval queens such as Eleanora of Aragon, Isabella of Naples, Tomyris of Scythia and many more. He continues with examples of continence, before finally ending his discussion by stating the greatest thing a Court Lady must know, is how to conduct a discussion on love.
The fourth book is prefaced with a lament for several of those parties at the discussion who are now dead. The fourth book is mainly a discussion by Ottaviano giving an end to the perfect courtier. Namely that he be able to please his Prince and how to liaise with and deal with him It ends more as discussion on the nature of Princes. What Castiglione seems to be intimating is that the perfection of a courtier is determined by his Prince rather than by a standard set of rules. The discussion sidetracks into a discourse on the nature of evil and how to recognize and act on it. It links the concepts of agism and vanity to this discussion with several interjections from the oldest member of the group, Morello. The fourth book ends with a move towards discussion of divine love and there it ends. Whether Castiglione meant to continue or not is uncertain.
Two things leap out about this courtier handbook:
The first is how often Castiglione chooses to address the side issue of semantics, rhetoric and grammar. It was clearly an important topic of the age and more time is spent on that single theme that any other.
The second is the constant reference to the ancient world an an ideal to be lived to. Particularly classical figures such as Alexander. This is not surprising given Jacob Bruckhardt's later 1860 essay on the Civilisation of Renaissance Italy, also refers to the "Revival of Antiquity' of the time.
What does comes across very clearly in this book is George Bull's refined translation keeps in mind the nature of the subject matter and in itself espouses courtiership. It is precise yet fluid in its translating and can be considered the best english rendering of this great Italian Renaissance work to date. This work is a must-read for any serious student of Renaissance Italy.

Rating:
Summary: Essential to understanding people in the 16th century
Review: Wouldn't it be great if several people had gathered together in one of the 16th century Italian states to hash out exactly what was proper behavior for a gentle person at that time and place? And wouldn't it be better if they were led by a gracious lady who demanded that they stay on track? And wouldn't it be helpful if somebody had written down what was said, so that we could read it? And wouldn't it be wonderful if the book earned praise all over Europe at that time, so we'd know that its teachings were generally accepted? And wouldn't it be convenient if it were currently in print in English translation?

They did. We can. It is.

Rating:
Summary: Essential to understanding people in the 16th century
Review: Wouldn't it be great if several people had gathered together in one of the 16th century Italian states to hash out exactly what was proper behavior for a gentle person at that time and place? And wouldn't it be better if they were led by a gracious lady who demanded that they stay on track? And wouldn't it be helpful if somebody had written down what was said, so that we could read it? And wouldn't it be wonderful if the book earned praise all over Europe at that time, so we'd know that its teachings were generally accepted? And wouldn't it be convenient if it were currently in print in English translation?

They did. We can. It is.