Reconsidering Humanism The Life and Works of Poggio Bracciolini

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Benes, Carrie

Keywords

Humanism, Renaissance, Bracciolini, Poggio

Area of Concentration

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Abstract

This thesis uses the fifteenth-century humanist Poggio Bracciolini to assert a broader view of Italian Renaissance humanism than has traditionally been conceived. Historically, formulations of humanism tended to overemphasize the classical, secular, and civic aspects of the movement, sometimes to the exclusion of its contemporary, religious, or moral aspects. Poggio Bracciolini, whose classical interests typify the "traditional" humanist in many ways, also complicates the traditional model. His most famous written work, the Facetiae (1451), follows a medieval model rather than a classical one and addresses contemporary moral issues. The text was well-received because of extensive humanist influence in literature, education, philosophy, and the Church. Moreover, Poggio's career was not chiefly a civic one; he was a secretary at the papal court for most of his life. And while Poggio made many contributions to the fifteenth-century body of classical knowledge, he also wrote a number of essays on contemporary moral issues. Ultimately, Poggio's life and works typify a broader conception of humanism.

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