Category Archives: Renaissance

Machiavelli

I forgot, when I put the syllabus together, to note where the CD-Rom readings can be found. The Machiavelli for Monday, in particular, is a bit off from our schedule: It’s in chapter 19. If you don’t have the CD-ROM, or want to read the whole thing, you can find it here. (The assigned readings are chapters V and XVIII; Machiavelli’s most famous line is here)

Machiavelli’s The Prince reviewed

The Wall Street Journal has a nice review of the old classic, including some good background history. Turns out I was wrong about his career. Not sure where I got the wrong information, but just goes to show that you can’t believe everything I say….

For even more detail, the New Yorker review of a biography of the man has pages and pages. Oddly, neither explicitly takes the position that I do: that Machiavelli is a classic Renaissance Man; His second career as a dramatist and historian pretty much seals that judgement.

Revising the schedule

Due to the textbook supply problem, I am going to have to revise the schedule and syllabus a bit more extensively than I expected. For today, Wednesday the 27th, we will be looking at Renaissance Art and I will talk a bit about the ideals of the Renaissance, especially about the work of Niccolo Machiavelli. The most famous chapter is probably Chapter XVII: Concerning Cruelty and Clemency.

For Friday, you should read more of The Prince at the above link and bring two or three of your favorite passages — written down — to share and discuss.