Paola Ugolini | SUNY: University at Buffalo (original) (raw)
Papers by Paola Ugolini
I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, Vol.25, No.1, Spring 2022, 69-88
Satire, in both prose and verse, was a relevant form of expression in the Renaissance. The develo... more Satire, in both prose and verse, was a relevant form of expression in the Renaissance. The development of Renaissance satire was influenced by the new vogue for the classics that brought back to fame satirists such as Horace and Juvenal. During the Renaissance satiric works were written in neo-Latin and in the vernaculars, and both in prose and in verse. Prose satire took the form of dialogues, letters, or mock encomia. Verse satire took the form of the satiric capitolo in rhyme, and such poetic forms began to be published in collections of works by different authors. During the same period, satire was also systematized from the theoretical point of view in various treatises on the nature of the genre. In spite of its popularity, nonetheless, satire experienced a drastic downfall at the end of the sixteenth century.
Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy
Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociolog... more Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociological theory sets the origins of our modern concept of civilized behavior in the Renaissance courts. Differentiating themselves from medieval courts by abandoning itinerancy and becoming more and more stable, Renaissance courts assumed a fixed, enclosed, and elitist structure, with the prince or lord at its center and a complex entourage of courtiers employed in different tasks surrounding him. At the same time, courts were places of unprecedented social mobility, where men of humble origins and great ambition could strive to obtain success and fame. In addition, they were important venues for the distribution of patronage: princes invested in writers and artists who could bring prestige to their court and make it outshine any rivals. Renaissance courts are also of paramount importance for gender studies. The courtly environment saw examples of powerful and influential females, who challe...
Renaissance and Reformation
Renaissance and Reformation
Aretino y España: un mundo de relaciones culturales e intertextuales, edited by Adrian J. Sàez, (Madrid: Sial, 2021), 381-95, 2021
The Court and Its Critics focuses on the disillusionment with courtliness, the derision of those ... more The Court and Its Critics focuses on the disillusionment with courtliness, the derision of those who live at court, and the open hostility toward the court, themes common to Renaissance culture.
Anti-courtly discourse furnished a platform for discussing
some of the most pressing questions of early modern Italian society. The court was the space that witnessed a new form of negotiation of identity and prestige, the definition of masculinity and of gender-specific roles, the birth of modern politics and of an ethics based on merit and on individual self-interest.
The Court and Its Critics analyses anti-courtly critiques using
a wide variety of sources including manuals of courtliness, dialogues, satires, and plays, from the mid-fifteenth to the early seventeenth century. The book is structured around
four key figures that embody different features of anti- courtly sentiments. The figure of the courtier shows that sentiments against the court were present even among those who apparently benefitted from such a system of power. The court lady allows an investigation of the intertwining of anti- courtliness and anti-feminism. The satirist and the shepherd of pastoral dramas are investigated as attempts to fashion two different forms of a new self for the court intellectual.
SCHEDE UMANISTICHE Rivista annuale dell'Archivio Umanistico Rinascimentale Bolognese, 2017
Prendendo spunto dal sonetto 94 delle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, il mio saggio si propone di analizz... more Prendendo spunto dal sonetto 94 delle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, il mio saggio si propone di analizzare l’atteggiamento di dichiarata sottomissione nei confronti dell’amato da parte della poetessa, contrastandolo con i momenti in cui, in un sorprendente cambio di tono, Stampa giunge a ricattare l’amato, minacciando di offuscarne la gloria proprio grazie al proprio ruolo di autrice. A partire da queste dichiarazioni, che mostrano la consapevolezza di Stampa del ruolo del poeta nel conferire o negare fama ai soggetti della propria opera, il saggio vuole inoltre esplorare le riflessioni sul valore e il potere della parola poetica e il rapporto tra verità e menzogna nella cultura del Cinquecento.
Starting from a close reading of Gaspara Stampa’s Rime 94, this essay analyzes Stampa’s declarations of submission to her beloved, bringing them to bear upon the moments when—with a shocking change in tone—Stampa blackmails her beloved, threatening to darken his fame with the power granted to her by her role as an author. These paradoxical declarations show Stampa’s awareness of the power of poetry to grant or deny fame to the subjects of her works. Thus, this essay also reflects on the value and the role of poetry, and the relationship between truth and lies, in sixteenth-century Italian culture.
Composed during the most difficult years of Ludovico Ariosto's relationship with the Este court, ... more Composed during the most difficult years of Ludovico Ariosto's relationship with the Este court, the Satire are known for presenting a picture of their author as a simple, quiet-loving man, and also as a man who can speak only the truth. However, the self-portrait offered by the Satire of the author as a man incapable of lying stands in direct contrast to the depiction presented by St. John in canto 35 of the Orlando Furioso of all writers (and thus, implicitly, of Ariosto) as liars. This article investigates the relationship between such contrasting self-portraits of Ariosto, aiming to overcome the traditional opposition of satire as the mode for honest speech—and for a truthful portrayal of the author's self— and epic as the mode for courtly flattering. Composée pendant les années les plus difficiles de sa relation avec la cour d'Este, les Satires de l'Arioste sont connues pour la représentation qu'elles donnent de leur auteur comme un homme simple aimant la tranquillité et ne disant jamais rien que la vérité. Toutefois, cette représentation de l'auteur comme un homme incapable de mentir contredit directement la représentation des écrivains (incluant implicitement l'Arioste lui-même comme menteurs, avancée par saint Jean dans le chant 35 de son Orlando Furioso.) Cet article examine donc les relations qu'entretiennent les différents autoportraits qu'offre l'Arioste et cherche à dépasser l'opposition traditionnelle entre la satire comme forme du discours honnête — qui comprend l'autoportrait honnête de l'auteur —, et le discours épique comme mode de flatterie de cour.
Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme 40.1, Winter / hiver 2017 (Special Issue), 2017
![Research paper thumbnail of "Court, Philosophy" [Entry forthcoming in M. Sgarbi, ed., Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy (Springer)]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/51606160/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](* This entry explores the connection between philosophy and Renaissance court culture and the rel... more * This entry explores the connection between philosophy and Renaissance court culture and the relevance of a philosophical education for those who aspired to become part of the courtly milieu. Humanists were often employed in different roles at court, their philosophical background making them perfectly fit to hold sensitive and relevant positions within the courtly establishment. The connection between philosophy and the court became stronger over the course of the Renaissance, resulting in philosophy being taken out of its traditional university milieu, and creating a complex dynamics: on the one hand, philosophers became subject to the will of the lords of the court, but on the other hand they could also profit from a larger degree of intellectual freedom that allowed them to investigate potentially troublesome topics that may have been considered unacceptable within universities. The most relevant depiction of the connection between philosophy and court culture can be found in the fourth book of Baldassare Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, that is devoted to an explanation of the Neo-Platonic notion of love and of its importance for the art of courtliness. Heritage and Rupture with the Tradition Philosophy played an important role in the culture of the courts of the Renaissance, and a philosophical background was often part of the education required for a member of the courtly elites, especially for those courtiers who aspired to relevant positions at court. By the time courts and court culture were flourishing in all of Europe, Humanism had become an established educational tradition. Humanists rediscovered previously neglected ancient philosophical text, and proceeded to edit and to translate them, and proposed a reform of traditional philosophical education, and of other educational
![Research paper thumbnail of "Courts and Courtiers" [Entry forthcoming in M. Sgarbi, ed., Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy (Springer)]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/51606146/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociolog... more Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociological theory sets the origins of our modern concept of civilized behavior in the Renaissance courts. Renaissance courts differentiated themselves form medieval courts by abandoning itinerancy and becoming more and more stable. Renaissance courts assumed the form of a fixed, enclosed, and elitist structure. They were also a very centralized structure that had the prince or lord at its center, while a complex entourage of courtiers employed in different tasks surrounded him. At the same time, courts were also a place of unprecedented social mobility, where men of humble origins and great ambition could strive to obtain success and fame. Courts were also important centers of patronage: princes invested in writers and artists who could bring prestige to their court and make it outshine any rival courts. In addition, Renaissance courts are also of paramount importance in terms of gender studies. The courtly environment saw examples of powerful and influential women, who challenged the still existing stereotypes of women’s weakness and inferiority to men. Finally, the court were also one of the main topics of Renaissance satiric writings, that offered a completely opposite picture to the image of splendor and magnificence that the courtly environment tried to offer for themselves, depicting them instead as overrun by hideous vices such as envy, flattery, and ruthless competition for success.
I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, Vol.25, No.1, Spring 2022, 69-88
Satire, in both prose and verse, was a relevant form of expression in the Renaissance. The develo... more Satire, in both prose and verse, was a relevant form of expression in the Renaissance. The development of Renaissance satire was influenced by the new vogue for the classics that brought back to fame satirists such as Horace and Juvenal. During the Renaissance satiric works were written in neo-Latin and in the vernaculars, and both in prose and in verse. Prose satire took the form of dialogues, letters, or mock encomia. Verse satire took the form of the satiric capitolo in rhyme, and such poetic forms began to be published in collections of works by different authors. During the same period, satire was also systematized from the theoretical point of view in various treatises on the nature of the genre. In spite of its popularity, nonetheless, satire experienced a drastic downfall at the end of the sixteenth century.
Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy
Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociolog... more Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociological theory sets the origins of our modern concept of civilized behavior in the Renaissance courts. Differentiating themselves from medieval courts by abandoning itinerancy and becoming more and more stable, Renaissance courts assumed a fixed, enclosed, and elitist structure, with the prince or lord at its center and a complex entourage of courtiers employed in different tasks surrounding him. At the same time, courts were places of unprecedented social mobility, where men of humble origins and great ambition could strive to obtain success and fame. In addition, they were important venues for the distribution of patronage: princes invested in writers and artists who could bring prestige to their court and make it outshine any rivals. Renaissance courts are also of paramount importance for gender studies. The courtly environment saw examples of powerful and influential females, who challe...
Renaissance and Reformation
Renaissance and Reformation
Aretino y España: un mundo de relaciones culturales e intertextuales, edited by Adrian J. Sàez, (Madrid: Sial, 2021), 381-95, 2021
The Court and Its Critics focuses on the disillusionment with courtliness, the derision of those ... more The Court and Its Critics focuses on the disillusionment with courtliness, the derision of those who live at court, and the open hostility toward the court, themes common to Renaissance culture.
Anti-courtly discourse furnished a platform for discussing
some of the most pressing questions of early modern Italian society. The court was the space that witnessed a new form of negotiation of identity and prestige, the definition of masculinity and of gender-specific roles, the birth of modern politics and of an ethics based on merit and on individual self-interest.
The Court and Its Critics analyses anti-courtly critiques using
a wide variety of sources including manuals of courtliness, dialogues, satires, and plays, from the mid-fifteenth to the early seventeenth century. The book is structured around
four key figures that embody different features of anti- courtly sentiments. The figure of the courtier shows that sentiments against the court were present even among those who apparently benefitted from such a system of power. The court lady allows an investigation of the intertwining of anti- courtliness and anti-feminism. The satirist and the shepherd of pastoral dramas are investigated as attempts to fashion two different forms of a new self for the court intellectual.
SCHEDE UMANISTICHE Rivista annuale dell'Archivio Umanistico Rinascimentale Bolognese, 2017
Prendendo spunto dal sonetto 94 delle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, il mio saggio si propone di analizz... more Prendendo spunto dal sonetto 94 delle Rime di Gaspara Stampa, il mio saggio si propone di analizzare l’atteggiamento di dichiarata sottomissione nei confronti dell’amato da parte della poetessa, contrastandolo con i momenti in cui, in un sorprendente cambio di tono, Stampa giunge a ricattare l’amato, minacciando di offuscarne la gloria proprio grazie al proprio ruolo di autrice. A partire da queste dichiarazioni, che mostrano la consapevolezza di Stampa del ruolo del poeta nel conferire o negare fama ai soggetti della propria opera, il saggio vuole inoltre esplorare le riflessioni sul valore e il potere della parola poetica e il rapporto tra verità e menzogna nella cultura del Cinquecento.
Starting from a close reading of Gaspara Stampa’s Rime 94, this essay analyzes Stampa’s declarations of submission to her beloved, bringing them to bear upon the moments when—with a shocking change in tone—Stampa blackmails her beloved, threatening to darken his fame with the power granted to her by her role as an author. These paradoxical declarations show Stampa’s awareness of the power of poetry to grant or deny fame to the subjects of her works. Thus, this essay also reflects on the value and the role of poetry, and the relationship between truth and lies, in sixteenth-century Italian culture.
Composed during the most difficult years of Ludovico Ariosto's relationship with the Este court, ... more Composed during the most difficult years of Ludovico Ariosto's relationship with the Este court, the Satire are known for presenting a picture of their author as a simple, quiet-loving man, and also as a man who can speak only the truth. However, the self-portrait offered by the Satire of the author as a man incapable of lying stands in direct contrast to the depiction presented by St. John in canto 35 of the Orlando Furioso of all writers (and thus, implicitly, of Ariosto) as liars. This article investigates the relationship between such contrasting self-portraits of Ariosto, aiming to overcome the traditional opposition of satire as the mode for honest speech—and for a truthful portrayal of the author's self— and epic as the mode for courtly flattering. Composée pendant les années les plus difficiles de sa relation avec la cour d'Este, les Satires de l'Arioste sont connues pour la représentation qu'elles donnent de leur auteur comme un homme simple aimant la tranquillité et ne disant jamais rien que la vérité. Toutefois, cette représentation de l'auteur comme un homme incapable de mentir contredit directement la représentation des écrivains (incluant implicitement l'Arioste lui-même comme menteurs, avancée par saint Jean dans le chant 35 de son Orlando Furioso.) Cet article examine donc les relations qu'entretiennent les différents autoportraits qu'offre l'Arioste et cherche à dépasser l'opposition traditionnelle entre la satire comme forme du discours honnête — qui comprend l'autoportrait honnête de l'auteur —, et le discours épique comme mode de flatterie de cour.
Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance et Réforme 40.1, Winter / hiver 2017 (Special Issue), 2017
* This entry explores the connection between philosophy and Renaissance court culture and the rel... more * This entry explores the connection between philosophy and Renaissance court culture and the relevance of a philosophical education for those who aspired to become part of the courtly milieu. Humanists were often employed in different roles at court, their philosophical background making them perfectly fit to hold sensitive and relevant positions within the courtly establishment. The connection between philosophy and the court became stronger over the course of the Renaissance, resulting in philosophy being taken out of its traditional university milieu, and creating a complex dynamics: on the one hand, philosophers became subject to the will of the lords of the court, but on the other hand they could also profit from a larger degree of intellectual freedom that allowed them to investigate potentially troublesome topics that may have been considered unacceptable within universities. The most relevant depiction of the connection between philosophy and court culture can be found in the fourth book of Baldassare Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, that is devoted to an explanation of the Neo-Platonic notion of love and of its importance for the art of courtliness. Heritage and Rupture with the Tradition Philosophy played an important role in the culture of the courts of the Renaissance, and a philosophical background was often part of the education required for a member of the courtly elites, especially for those courtiers who aspired to relevant positions at court. By the time courts and court culture were flourishing in all of Europe, Humanism had become an established educational tradition. Humanists rediscovered previously neglected ancient philosophical text, and proceeded to edit and to translate them, and proposed a reform of traditional philosophical education, and of other educational
Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociolog... more Courts were the center of political and cultural life in the Renaissance. A longstanding sociological theory sets the origins of our modern concept of civilized behavior in the Renaissance courts. Renaissance courts differentiated themselves form medieval courts by abandoning itinerancy and becoming more and more stable. Renaissance courts assumed the form of a fixed, enclosed, and elitist structure. They were also a very centralized structure that had the prince or lord at its center, while a complex entourage of courtiers employed in different tasks surrounded him. At the same time, courts were also a place of unprecedented social mobility, where men of humble origins and great ambition could strive to obtain success and fame. Courts were also important centers of patronage: princes invested in writers and artists who could bring prestige to their court and make it outshine any rival courts. In addition, Renaissance courts are also of paramount importance in terms of gender studies. The courtly environment saw examples of powerful and influential women, who challenged the still existing stereotypes of women’s weakness and inferiority to men. Finally, the court were also one of the main topics of Renaissance satiric writings, that offered a completely opposite picture to the image of splendor and magnificence that the courtly environment tried to offer for themselves, depicting them instead as overrun by hideous vices such as envy, flattery, and ruthless competition for success.
The Other Voice, 2014
Veronica Gambara (1485-1550) was one of the most celebrated lyric poets of early sixteenth-centur... more Veronica Gambara (1485-1550) was one of the most celebrated lyric poets of early sixteenth-century Italy. Equally significant to Gambara’s literary repute was her political standing as the dowager Countess of Correggio – a role she assumed upon her husband’s death in 1519 and held to the end or her life. Gambara’s early amorous poetry in the Petrarchan style led her to be hailed by Pietro Bembo as “the voice […] that honors Brescia,” while the poetry she composed throughout her governing years was deeply engaged in the political discourses of her time. Though she never published a collected edition of her poetry, Gambara produced an extensive oeuvre of vernacular verse that has been extensively anthologized. This book presents the first complete bilingual edition of Gambara’s verse, with critical notes that illuminate her sophisticated literary interplay with the Petrarchan and Classical traditions. The critical introduction sheds light on the unique interrelationship between Gambara’s cultural currency and her political power, as she drew on her literary talent to participate in the political arena to emerge as one of the first women poet-rulers of the Early Modern Italian tradition.
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** Advance Praise
“This edition brings all [Gambara’s] poems together for the first time, provides a richly informed introduction filling in her biography, including her many social circles, and offers an excellent set of historical data and literary-critical references.”
— Ann Rosalind Jones
Ester Cloudman Dunn Professor of Comparative Literature, Smith College
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** The Editors & Translators
Molly M. Martin received her PhD in Italian Literature from Columbia University. She currently teaches in the Global Liberal Studies program at New York University.
Paola Ugolini received her PhD in Italian Studies from New York University. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Italian at The University at Buffalo (SUNY).