CONTENTS

CHAPTER   PAGE
I. THE BEGINNINGS OF ITALIAN LITERATURE 1
II. THE EARLY ITALIAN LYRIC 12
III. DANTE’S LIFE AND MINOR WRITINGS 24
IV. THE DIVINE COMEDY 40
V. PETRARCH AS MAN OF LETTERS 53
VI. PETRARCH AND LAURA 66
VII. BOCCACCIO 82
VIII. THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 97
IX. THE POETICAL RENAISSANCE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY 110
X. CHIVALRIC POETRY 126
XI. ARIOSTO AND HIS IMITATORS 140
XII. MACHIAVELLI AND GUICCIARDINI 156
XIII. OTHER PROSE-WRITERS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY 170
XIV. THE PETRARCHISTS 185
XV. HUMOROUS POETRY—THE MOCK-HEROIC 201
XVI. THE NOVEL 212
XVII. THE DRAMA 223
XVIII. TASSO 237
XIX. THE PROSE OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 256
XX. THE POETRY OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 272
XXI. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 288
XXII. THE COMEDY OF MASKS—THE OPERA—DRAMA OF THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY		 305
XXIII. THE REVIVAL 327
XXIV. THE REGENERATION 352
XXV. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY—MIDDLE PERIOD 375
XXVI. CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE 394
  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 419
  INDEX 425