A Review of "The Book of the Courtier"

Paper Summary:

This paper is a review of the Baldassare Castiglione's classic literary piece "The Book of the Courtier" from the 16th Century, as translated into English in the 20th Century. The paper notes that Castiglione wrote in an Italian dialect and not Latin as would be expected during that time. The work is an insider's view of court life and governance during this period and the paper analyzes its lasting influence. The paper is divided into four sections which correspond with the sub-books in "The Book of the Courtier". Some characteristics of the book overall are also outlined followed by the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"Baldassare Castiglione's The Book of the Courtier is set in early 16th Century Italy. It is a guide-book on important issues of the day to court life and governance, outlining proper etiquette, behavior and acts. It was almost a "Court Life for Dummies" book. It sketched out the proper way one should govern and function at court. The Book of the Courtier was written not first in Latin, but in a language Castiglione was most familiar with, an Italian dialect. His book would prove immensely popular and influential in to its time, being translated to French, Spanish, English, Latin and German."

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