History of the Italian Language
From a Local Tuscan Dialect to the Language of a New Nation
History of the Italian Language > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
The First Texts: The 13th century
In the first half of the 13th century Florence was preoccupied with the development of trade. Then interest began to broaden, especially under the lively influence of Latini.
- Brunetto Latini (1220-94): Latini was exiled to Paris from 1260 to 1266 and became a link between France and Tuscany. He wrote the Trèsor (in French) and the Tesoretto and contributed to the development of allegorical and didactic poetry, along with a tradition of rhetoric upon which the "dolce stil nuovo" and Divine Comedy were based.
- The "dolce stil nuovo" (1270-1310): Although in theory they continued the Provençal tradition and counted themselves members of the Sicilian School of Federico II's reign, the Florentine writers went their own way. They used all their knowledge of science and philosophy in a delicate and detailed analysis of love. Among them were Guido Cavalcanti and the young Dante.
- The Chroniclers: These were men of the merchant class whose involvement in city affairs inspired them to write tales in the vulgar tongue. Some, such as Dino Compagni (d. 1324), wrote about local conflicts and rivalries; others, like Giovanni Villani (d. 1348), took much wider European events as their subject.
The Three Jewels in the Crown
- Dante Alighieri (1265-1321): Dante's Divine Comedy is one of the great works of world literature, and it was also proof that in literature the vulgar tongue could rival Latin. He had already defended his argument in two unfinished treatises, De vulgari eloquentia and Convivio. But to prove his point it needed the Divine Comedy, "this masterpiece in which Italians rediscovered their language in sublime form" (Bruno Migliorini).
- Petrarch (1304-74): Francesco Petrarca was born in Arezzo, since his father was in exile from Florence. He was a passionate admirer of ancient Roman civilization and one of the great early Renaissance humanists, creating a Republic of Letters. His philological work was highly respected, as were his translations from Latin into the Vulgate, and also his own Latin works. But it is his love poetry, written in the vulgar tongue, that keeps his name alive today. His Canzoniere had enormous influence on the poets of the 15th and 16th centuries.
- Boccaccio (1313-75): This was a man from the rising commercial classes, whose Decameron has been described as a "merchant's epic" It consists of one hundred stories told by characters who are also part of a story that provides the setting for the whole, much like The Arabian Nights. The work was to become a model for fiction and prose writing. Boccaccio was the first to write a commentary on Dante, and he was also a friend and disciple of Petrarch. Around him gathered enthusiasts of the new humanism.
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