The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy. Jacob Burckhardt

Scenic splendour, the enemy of the drama 316 The intermezzo and the ballet 317 Comedies and masques 320 Compensation afforded by music 321 Epic romances 321 Necessary subordination of the descriptions of character 323 Pulci and Bojardo 323 Inner law of their compositions 324 Ariosto and his style 325 Folengo and parody 326 Contrast offered by Tasso 327 CHAPTER V. BIOGRAPHY. Advance of Italy on the Middle Ages 328 Tuscan biographers 330 Biography in other parts of Italy 332 Autobiography; Æneas Sylvius 333 Benvenuto Cellini 333 Girolamo Cardano 334 Luigi Cornaro 335 CHAPTER VI. THE DESCRIPTION OF NATIONS AND CITIES. The ‘Dittamondo’ 339 Descriptions in the sixteenth century 339 CHAPTER VII. DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTWARD MAN. Boccaccio on Beauty 344 Ideal of Firenzuola 345 His general definitions 345 CHAPTER VIII. DESCRIPTIONS OF LIFE IN MOVEMENT. Æneas Sylvius and others 349 Conventional bucolic poetry from the time of Petrarch 350 Genuine poetic treatment of country life 351 Battista Mantovano, Lorenzo Magnifico, Pulci 352 Angelo Poliziano 353 Man, and the conception of humanity 354 Pico della Mirandola on the dignity of man 354 PART V. SOCIETY AND FESTIVALS. CHAPTER I. THE EQUALISATION OF CLASSES. Contrast to the Middle Ages 359 Common life of nobles and burghers in the cities 359 Theoretical criticism of noble birth 360 The nobles in different parts of Italy 362 The nobility and culture 363 Bad influence of Spain 363 Knighthood since the Middle Ages 364 The tournaments and the caricature of them 365 Noble birth as a requisite of the courtier 367 CHAPTER II. OUTWARD REFINEMENT OF LIFE. Costume and fashions 369 The toilette of women 371 Cleanliness 374 The ‘Galateo’ and good manners 375 Comfort and elegance 376 CHAPTER III. LANGUAGE AS THE BASIS OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. Development of an ideal language 378 Its wide diffusion 379 The Purists 379 Their want of success 382 Conversation