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Gli Asolani (the people of Asolo) are dialogues in 3 books written between 1497 and 1504[1] by Pietro Bembo in the language of Petrarch[2] and comprise his first important work. Although he had shown a copy to Lucrezia Borgia in 1503,[1] the first edition from 1505 was published by Aldo Manuzio (Aldus Manutius), and the second edition was published, after various revisions, in 1530. They concern a dialogue on love that is supposed to have happened at Asolo near the court of Caterina Cornaro (Catherine Cornaro).[3]
[edit] Structure and personages
- Libro I - Perottino: the unfortunate lover who expresses love's negativity via psychophysiological analyses - playing on the words amore (love) and amare (bitter) "he argues that love is bitter, that all love causes bitterness, and that all bitterness proceeds from love"[4]
- Libro II - Gismondo: the fortunate lover who refutes Perottino's thesis by expounding love's positivity[5]
- Libro III - Lavinello: who refutes both Perottino and Gismondo[6] by supporting the theory of Platonic love - contemplating the beautiful ideal present in earthly things; Kidwell summarises this as "In short, good love is that which one can enjoy eternally and bad that which condemns us eternally to grief"[7]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b Kidwell, page 101
- ^ Kidwell, page 100
- ^ Kidwell, page 99
- ^ Kidwell, page 102
- ^ Kidwell, pages 104-106
- ^ Kidwell, page 107
- ^ Kidwell, page 109
[edit] External links
Italian
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