Unit 1 Literature

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio

This masterpiece offers a first-hand description of the devastation of

the Black Death on the city of Florence. It tells the story of ten young

friends trying to hide from the plague. It was written in vernacular

Italian, not Latin.

Autobiography by Benvenuto Cellini

A boastful work by a leading artist that captured the Renaissance

celebration of individualism. It offers the powerful assertion that “Man

can do all things” that sums up a new confidence in man’s potential.

Oration on the Dignity of Man by Pico della Mirandola

compared every

known religious and philosophical tradition looking for universal truths

embraced by all humanity. It was seen as an attack on the primacy of

Christian thought.

The Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione

This is a work about etiquette and manners. He believed that

the Renaissance was a unique age in need of new etiquette. He

argued that the modern man, a “Renaissance Man,” must combine

traditional males virtues with education and artistic talents.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

He worked for the Medici government in Florence. This

masterpiece of political science described the qualities of the ideal

ruler arguing that he cannot be limited by Christian morality and that

the “ends justify the means” and “it is better to be feared than loved.”

In Praise of Human Folly by Erasmus

A Christian Humanist work that used satire and humor to mock certain

practices of medieval Catholicism, such as veneration of saint’s relics,

in hopes of provoking reform within the Church.

Education of a Christian Prince by Erasmus

Some view this as a response to Machiavelli’s The Prince, in which

he argues that the very goal of any ruler should be to imitate the

example of Christ to love your neighbor.

Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan

Written in French by a female author, the work is considered one of the

first pieces of feminist literature. She argues that women are evry

bit as capable as men if only given an education and an opportunity.

Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women by John Knox

Written by a powerful Scottish religious and political figure, the work

attacked the notion of women ruling over nations. He said this went

against God’s law. He attacked powerful female rulers such as Mary,

Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I of England, and Catherine de Medici of

France.

Marco Polo’s Journey by Marco Polo

Published after his return from his epic excursion to China, the work

described the sights he encountered on his travels and the remarkable

life he lived in medieval China. His work inspired others to explore the

globe.

Essays by Michel de Montaigne

This philosophical work made the radical assertion that each culture

possessed its own unique norms and that while different than

European culture they were not inferior, just different. It is the

foundation of cultural relativism.

Othello by William Shakespeare

One of his greatest tragedies, this play’s lead character is

a complex and fully developed man who happens to be dark skinned.

It is one of the first sympathetic depictions of a black person in

European literature.