Table Of ContentTHE COURT AND ITS CRITICS
Anti-Court Sentiments in Early Modern Italy
The Court and Its Critics
Anti-Court Sentiments
in Early Modern Italy
Paola Ugolini
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press 2020
Toronto Buffalo London
utorontopress.com
Printed in Canada
ISBN 978-1-4875-0544-8 (Cloth)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3212-3 (EPUB)
ISBN 978-1-4875-3216-1 (PDF)
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: The court and its critics : anti-court sentiments in early modern
Italy/Paola Ugolini.
Names: Ugolini, Paola, 1974– author.
Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana 20190188146 | ISBN 9781487505448 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Italy – Court and courtiers – History –
16th century. | LCSH: Italy – Social life and customs –
16th century. | LCSH: Satire, Italian – History and criticism.
Classification: LCC DG447 .U36 2019 | DDC 945/.07 – dc23
University of Toronto Press gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of
the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Publication Fund of the Villa I Tatti Harvard
Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Florence, in the publication of this
book.
University of Toronto Press gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of
the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, Julian Park Fund in the
publication of this book.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts
Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 3
1 The Courtier 13
2 The Lady 50
3 The Satirist 84
4 The Shepherd 145
Afterword 181
Notes 187
Bibliography 253
Index 275
Acknowledgments
It is a great pleasure to thank the people and institutions that have
provided me with support and guidance in the writing of this book.
I am indebted to the outstanding scholars I have been lucky to have as
mentors during my years at New York University and beyond. Virginia
Cox’s thorough comments on every page I wrote, her professional gen-
erosity and availability to discuss with me the fascinating intricacies
of early modern culture have been an invaluable source of intellectual
stimulation. Jane Tylus first introduced me to the world of the early
modern pastoral, igniting a fascination that would accompany me over
the years that followed. Her feedback and conversation, her respect for
my work, and her kindness have been a constant source of motivation.
Daniel Javitch further encouraged me to pursue this project (also in the
name of our mutual passion for the works of Ludovico Ariosto) and
broadened my scholarly horizons by teaching me to see the Italian Re-
naissance from a pan-European perspective.
As this book project started to take shape, many friends and col-
leagues were kind enough to read it in its earliest form. I am indebted
to Sarah G. Ross, Giuseppe Gerbino, Paolo Savoia, Aileen A. Feng, and
Marco Faini for offering precious feedback on my manuscript. Lindsay
Eufusia helped me with her unbeatable proofreading and editing skills,
and Anna Wainwright was a fantastic interlocutor in bringing the
translations of quoted text into shape. The two anonymous reviewers
at the University of Toronto Press provided thoughtful and meticulous
feedback, which has greatly improved the quality of this book.
This book would not have been possible without the generous sup-
port of Harvard University’s Villa I Tatti. The academic year I spent
at Villa I Tatti was memorable in many ways, human and profes-
sional. I would like to thank the I Tatti staff and the many friends I met
there, during both my fellowship year and my later research trips to
viii Acknowledgments
the astounding Berenson Library; they all continue to be irreplacea-
ble sources of intellectual exchange. My thoughts go in particular to
Francesco Lucioli and Martina Piperno, Sarah G. Ross, Mary Vaccaro,
Laura Moretti, Jessica Goethals, Alessandro Polcri, Paolo Savoia, Dario
Brancato, Aileen A. Feng, and Cory Gavito. I am also indebted to Villa
I Tatti for supporting the publication of this book through the Lila
Wallace-Reader’s Digest Publication Subsidy.
My colleagues at the Department of Romance Languages and
Literatures at the University at Buffalo have been a continual source
of support for me. I want to thank in particular David Castillo, Amy
Graves-M onroe, Stephanie Schmidt, Henry Berlin, Colleen Culleton, and
Maureen Jameson. Very special thanks, of course, to the “Dream Team”
of the Italian program: Laura Chiesa, Emanuela Pecchioli, Andrew
Serio, and Maria Cimato-Cirulli. I also acknowledge the U niversity at
Buffalo for awarding me the Julian Park Publication Fund.
My old and new friends in different parts of the world – in New
York City, in Buffalo, in Modena – have kept me grounded and offered
encouragement, conversation, and entertainment. Special thanks go to
Elena Bellina, Erika Mazzer, Vincenzo Rochira, Elisabetta Pederzini,
and Wendy Quinton.
My family has been a constant source of immeasurable support and
love: my parents, Franco Ugolini and Maria Concetta Montermini, who
taught me to pursue my passions and goals, to work hard, and to never
give up in the face of adversity; my uncle Gabriele Ugolini and my aunt
Vanna Fontana, who taught me to love art and encouraged me to travel
the world; and my Montermini family, who are a constant reminder
that there is nothing wrong in not conforming.
Finally, my greatest thanks go to Marco Faini: first-class scholar,
superb pastry chef, gifted rock guitarist, tennis player, and goalkeeper –
a man of so many talents that had he only been born in the sixteenth
century, he would have proved to the world that Castiglione’s perfect
courtier was indeed possible. To him – for his intelligence, kindness,
integrity, elegance, and sense of humour; for never doubting me even
when I doubt myself – this book is dedicated, with admiration and love.
THE COURT AND ITS CRITICS
Anti-Court Sentiments in Early Modern Italy
