Chapter XIII: The Purists

The Italians lose their Language--Prejudice against the Mother Tongue--Problem of the Dialects--Want of a Metropolis--The Tuscan Classics--Petrarch and Boccaccio--Dante Rejected--False Attitude of the Petrarchisti--Renaissance Sense of Beauty unexpressed in Lyric--False Attitude of Boccaccio's Followers--Ornamental Prose--Speron Sperone--The Dictator Bembo--His Conception of the Problem--The _Asolani_--Grammatical Essay--Treatise on the Language--Poems--Letters--Bembo's Place in the _Cortegiano_--Castiglione on Italian Style--His Good Sense--Controversies on the Language--Academical Spirit--Innumerable Poetasters--La Casa--His Life--_Il Forno_--Peculiar Melancholy--His Sonnets--Guidiccioni's Poems on Italy--Court Life--Caro and Castelvetro--Their Controversies--Castelvetro accused of Heresy--Literary Ladies--Veronica Gambara--Vittoria Colonna--Her Life--Her Friendship for Michelangelo--Life of Bernardo Tasso--His _Amadigi_ and other Works--Life of Giangiorgio Trissino--His Quarrel with his Son Giulio--His Critical Works--The _Italia Liberata_ 246