Site of Petrarchism

William J. Kennedy is a professor of comparative literature at Cornell University. He is the author of Rhetorical Norms in Renaissance Literature, Jacop Sannazaro and the Uses of Pastoral, and Authorizing Petrarch.

• Contents: Introduction: Fore SitesONE Petrarch and the Site of Petrarchism in Italy 1. Petrarch as Commentator: The Search for Italy 2. Petrarchan Totems and Political Taboos 3. Amor and Patria: Citing Petrarch in Florence and NaplesTWO Du Bellay and theSite of Petrarchism in France 4. Du Bellay and the Language of Empire: The Deffence et illustration 5. Totems for Defense: Du Bellay and Marot 6. Illustrations of Taboo: Du Bellay, Heroet, Saint-Gelais, Sceve 7. Mon semblable, mon frere: Du Bellay and RonsardTHREE The Sidneys and Wroth: The Site of Petrarchism in England 8. Courtly and Anti-Courtly Sidneian Identities 9. Family Narratives: The Transitional Space of Petrarchism 10. An Apology for Uncles: Philip Sidney's Defence of Poetry 11. Prosthetic Gods: The Liberties of Astrophil and Pamphilia 12. Byblis and the Bible: Incest, Endogamy, and Mary WrothConclusion: Far Sites, Father Sites, Farther S

Kennedy offers with his new book yet another landmark for Petrarchan studies... Combining sociological investigation, historical contextualization, social psychology, bibliographical evidence, refined close readings, and a breathtaking erudition, this major contribution to a general history of nationalism in Europe takes pain to differentiate with great subtlety the French, English, Spanish, or German concepts and realities of national communities. -- Cecile Alduy Renaissance Quarterly Imbued with historical learning and literary acumen, Kennedy's study is required reading for all scholarly toilers in the sites of Renaissance lyric. -- Mary Moore Spenser Review 2004 The book's international perspective makes it especially valuable to anyone seeking a sense of how Petrarch was read and understood in a broader European context. -- Robert C. Evans Sixteenth Century Journal 2006 The wealth of materials contained in the book is impressive, the prose is compelling, and the argument is persuasive, detailed, and powerful. -- Patricia Phillippy Journal of Literature, History, and the Philosophy of History 2006 This is a book worth reading. -- Richard Helgerson Comparative Literature Studies 2005