Leon Battista Alberti (1404鈥�1472) was one of the most prolific and original writers of the Italian Renaissance鈥攁 fact often eclipsed by his more celebrated achievements as an art theorist and architect, and by Jacob Burckhardt鈥檚 mythologizing of Alberti as a 鈥淩enaissance or Universal Man.鈥� In this book, Martin McLaughlin counters this partial perspective on Alberti, considering him more broadly as a writer dedicated to literature and humanism, a major protagonist and experimentalist in the literary scene of early Renaissance Italy. McLaughlin, a noted authority on Alberti, examines all of Alberti鈥檚 major works in Latin and the Italian vernacular and analyzes his vast knowledge of classical texts and culture.
McLaughlin begins with what we know of Alberti鈥檚 life, comparing the facts laid out in Alberti鈥檚 autobiography with the myth created in the nineteenth century by Burckhardt, before moving on to his extraordinarily wide knowledge of classical texts. He then turns to Alberti鈥檚 works, tracing his development as a writer through texts that range from an early comedy in Latin successfully passed off as the work of a fictitious ancient author to later philosophical dialogues written in the Italian vernacular (a revolutionary choice at the time); humorous works in Latin, including the first novel in that language since antiquity; and the famous treatises on painting and architecture. McLaughlin also examines the astonishing range of Alberti’s ancient sources and how this reading influenced his writing; what the humanist read, he argues, often explains what he wrote, and what he wrote reflected his relentless industry and pursuit of originality.
"[A] learned, lucid book. . . . McLaughlin has set out to show what sort of writer Alberti was, and the results are impressive."鈥擜nthony Grafton, London Review of 快色直播
"[McLaughlin’s] scholarly yet lucid writing makes plain just how original and individual a figure [Alberti] was, and how so much of his work deserves to be rescued from obscurity. In many ways he comes closer than most scholars to Alberti, who, one feels, would have gratefully recognized in him a fellow spirit."鈥擯eter Hainsworth, Times Literary Supplement
"A comprehensive view of the humanist’s literary output."鈥擲uzanna Murawski, New Criterion
"A fascinating and fitting monument to one of the Renaissance’s most formidable literary minds."鈥擜lexander Lee, Literary Review
"McLaughlin’s book is an exceptionally thorough contribution on Alberti’s prose production, based on systematic analysis of archival sources, knowledge of existing studies, and outstanding sensitivity to Alberti’s stylistic choices."鈥擬aria Sole Costanzo, Renaissance Quarterly
"McLaughlin knows his subject inside and out."鈥�Publishers Weekly
"A genuinely awe-inspiring piece of scholarship and research."鈥擳erry Potter, Letterpress Project
"Thorough and clearly authoritative, [this book] traverses all that is already known about [Alberti’s] literary works, but perhaps more importantly, it also addresses the writer’s wide knowledge of classical texts, as well as his later philosophical dialogue."鈥�David Marx Book Reviews
“Authoritative and engaging, this book is the most complete map to date of Alberti’s literary production and a welcome addition to the field of Alberti studies. Combining close readings of Alberti’s major works with philological inquiry into their classical sources of inspiration, McLaughlin portrays an eclectic and erudite humanist increasingly steeped in classical antiquity and a highly original, plain-speaking writer for his times.”—Ita Mac Carthy, author of The Grace of the Italian Renaissance
“Martin McLaughlin’s erudition and interpretative brilliance illuminate every page of this book, and his analysis is always fresh, insightful, and inventive. Leon Battista Alberti transforms our understanding of one of the most enigmatic and engaging figures of the Italian Renaissance. It will undoubtedly remain a landmark in Alberti studies, literary studies, and Renaissance studies for many years to come.”—Caspar Pearson, author of Leon Battista Alberti: The Chameleon's Eye
