Renaissance Seminar
William Metcalfe
Fall 1993
- Week I: Introduction.
Historical Interpretations of the Renaissance; "Medieval or Modern" controversy; Burckhardt, Lopez, Ferguson, etc. Assignments: Chapters I, II, VII & VIII of Hale; identification items assigned for weeks I and II.
- Week II: Castiglione, Book of the Courtier.
Background, the late medieval crisis, church problems, feudal problems. Discussion of Parts I, II and (if time permits) III of Courtier.
- Week III: Castiglione, Part IV, and Machiavelli, The Prince.
Resume discussion of Castiglione and add Machiavelli. Look back at Chapt. VIII of Hale. Each person to make very short (2 min.) presentation of prospective RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC.
- Week IV: Machiavelli.
Groups will be responsible for various parts of the Discourses and The Art of War. All will read The Mandrake Root. NB: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT for the THURSDAY of this week = a short (5 page max.) essay discussing Castiglione's treatment of princes and "politics" as compared with Machiavelli's (in The Prince). Emphasis on correct, elegant prose, organization. To be based on the works themselves, not on secondary research.
- Week V: More, Utopia.
Background lecture on Tudor monarchy, discussion of the text. SUBMIT BIBLIOGRAPHY (rough) FOR RESEARCH PAPER. Be reading Smith's Henry VIII (it is long and dense!).
- Week VI: Renaissance Music Day
. . . heaven knows what may happen. Be reading Smith's Henry VIII. Also read Hale, Chapt. VII.
- Week VII: smith, Henry VIII; Weir, 8 Wives of Henry VIII.
Discussion of the books, of biography as an historical vehicle, of Henry as an archetypal Renaissance prince, English style.
- Week VIII: Discussion of Manchester, World Lit only by Fire.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT = short essay/review based on Smith, or Weir, or Manchester.
- Week IX-XIII: Student papers continue;
these are not to be read, but to be summarized following rigid time limits, probably no more than 30 minutes per presentation! This is ego-shattering, very difficult, frustrating, etc.but, we hope, a useful discipline for researcher and listener alike. After your oral summary, a draft of your paper will be due the Next Day.
FINAL VERSIONS OF TERM PAPERS DUE NO LATER THAN FRIDAY MAY_3 (last day of classes). Death (yours) will be the only acceptable excuse for lateness. THE PAPERS SHOULD BE APPROX. 12-15 pages in length (graduate students may be permitted a few more, if they are truly scintillating), NO LONGER!
Carpe diem.
Vos doceo dulcis modos musae...
Arma virunque cano
Plus ga change, plus c'est la mime chose
Me Honi soit qui mal y pense
Book requisition for History 225: Renaissance Seminar Metcalfe, Fall 93
a. J.R.Hale, Renaissance Europe 0-520-03471-6 (p) U.of California
b. Castiglione, Book of the Courtier 0-14-044192-1 (p) Viking-Penguin
c. ThomasMore,Utopia 0-14-044165-4 (p) Viking-Penguin
d. Machiavelli, The Portable Machiavelli 0-14-015092-7 (p) Viking-Penguin
e. Alison Weir, The Six Wives of inW VIII 0-345-38072-x (p) Ballantine
f. L.B.Smith, Henrv VIII: the Mask of Royalty 0-89733-056-0 (p) Academy/Chicago
g. William Manchester, A World Lit Only by Fire: 0-316-54556-2 (p) Little Brown
h. (graduate students only) Peter Burke, The Renaissance 0-391-03484-7 (p) Humanities Press