Profits and Morals in Leon Battista Alberti’s I libri della famiglia

Bek-Thomsen, Jakob

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-52815-1_5

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Both principles are described by the character of Giannozzo in Book III of On Family , emblematically entitled Economicus , which not only indicates “the administration of the household, but also how to make profit” (Beck-Thomsen, 2017: 46). The greatest remedy against Fortune is thriftiness ( masserizia ), which, as Giannozzo boasts, is a “holy thing” (Alberti, 1969a: 160 [III]).…”

Section: Leon Battista Alberti and The Renaissance Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

Renaissance domestic affairs on stage: Clizia as Machiavelli's reading of Alberti's On Family

Carnevali

2022

Forum Italicum: A Journal of Italian Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this article, I challenge the critical assumption that the Clizia is only a pedestrian imitation of Plautus’ Casina and set out to demonstrate that, drawing heavily on Leon Battista Alberti's household theorization, Machiavelli structured his last play around key Albertian concepts, such as Fortune, marriage, social reputation, and thriftiness. Taking this intertext into account, I argue that Alberti's treaty On Family provides a theoretical framework within which all Clizia's characters move. The play then is not just an imitation of classical models, but also Machiavelli's answer to a hypothetical question: What happens when Fortune causes the Albertian paterfamilias to go suddenly astray? As Machiavelli shows, the household would succumb under Fortune's attacks if it were not for the character of Sofronia, who, adapting to the extraordinary events, becomes a Machiavellian wife to preserve the Albertian family model. Thanks to her amoral tactics, she saves the household from ruin, restores the hierarchical internal division of roles, and even forges a new alliance for the family. Blurring the boundaries between domestic and public sphere, through the Clizia Machiavelli proves that Machiavellianism belongs in the Albertian household.

show abstract

Section: Leon Battista Alberti and The Renaissance Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

Renaissance domestic affairs on stage: Clizia as Machiavelli's reading of Alberti's On Family

Carnevali

2022

Forum Italicum: A Journal of Italian Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Profits and Morals in Leon Battista Alberti’s I libri della famiglia

Cited by 1 publication

References 9 publications

Renaissance domestic affairs on stage: Clizia as Machiavelli's reading of Alberti's On Family

Renaissance domestic affairs on stage: Clizia as Machiavelli's reading of Alberti's On Family

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About