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The Book of the Courtier
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreDefines the essential virtues for those at Court. This title includes a series of imaginary conversations between the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, in which his speakers discuss qualities of noble behaviour - chiefly discretion and gracefulness - as well as questions such as the duties of a good government and the true nature of love.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
The Italian Renaissance man's handbook, defining the virtues essential for a man of the Court.
In The Book of the Courtier (1528), Baldesar Castiglione, a diplomat and Papal Nuncio to Rome, sets out to define the essential virtues for those at Court. In a lively series of imaginary conversations between the real-life courtiers to the Duke of Urbino, his speakers discuss qualities of noble behaviour—chiefly discretion, decorum, nonchalance, and gracefulness—as well as wider questions such as the duties of a good government and the true nature of love.
Castiglione's narrative power and psychological perception make this guide both an entertaining comedy of manners and a revealing window onto the ideals and preoccupations of the Italian Renaissance at the moment of its greatest splendour.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780140441925
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 24 June 1976
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Penguin Classics
Contributors:
- Translated by George Bull
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 20.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 270g
Pages: 368
About the Author
Castiglione was born in 1478 and a member of an ancient aristocratic family. A courtier throughout his life, his writings were always a secondary affair. George Bull was an author and journlaist who translated six books for the Penguin Classics, including The Prince by Machiavelli. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was made a Knight Commander in 1999.
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