Italy and Humanism from Dante to Vasari

Catalog description

The Reading Florence: The Birth of the Modern Self from Dante to Vasari course offers an introduction to Italian literature from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Structured around major figures such as Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, Alberti, Machiavelli, and Vasari, whose works played a crucial role in shaping how we understand personal identity, individuality, and human potential today, this course traces the historical roots of the belief that our thoughts, choices, and creative expression define who we are. From Dante's exploration of the soul's journey to Vasari's celebration of artistic genius, these works from medieval and Renaissance Florence laid the groundwork for modern ideas of autonomy, self-awareness, and personal agency. Together, they mark a turning point in Western culture, when writers, thinkers, and artists began to envision the human being as a conscious, self-reflective individual capable of shaping their own destiny. Ultimately, this course offers more than the study of a literary tradition - it is an invitation to understand how Italian literary culture shaped Western thought, influenced the arts, and continues to speak across languages, disciplines, and centuries. Literature, at its best, travels, transforms, and helps us better understand ourselves and the world.