Quillen, Carol E., trans., The Secret by Francesco Petrarch, with related documents (Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martins)
Text name(s): Secretum; De secreto conflictu curarum mearum; The Secret
Number of pages of primary source text: 152
Author(s):
Dates: 1347 - 1353
Archival Reference:
Original Language(s):
- Latin
Translation:
- Translated into English.
Translation Comments:
Geopolitical Region(s):
- Italy
- France
County/Region:
Record Types:
- Dialog
Subject Headings:
- Church Fathers
- Classics / Humanism
- Grammar / Rhetoric
- Philosophy - Ethics / Moral Theology
Apparatus:
- Index
- Glossary
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Introduction
Comments:
Petrarch’s Secret attempted to revive the genre of dialogue in its Platonic and Ciceronian forms as opposed to the Augustinian and Boethian model that dominated the Middle Ages. Structured as a debate between Franciscus (read: Petrarch) and Augustine, the dialogue centers around trying to remedy Franciscus’s unhappiness and spiritual sickness. Two main obstacles emerge for Franciscus: his love for Laura and his desire for literary fame. The dialogue also acts as a humanistic manifesto which argues for the redemptive power of ancient literature, offers advice on how to approach this literature and explains how this literature serves as a window to human nature and experience.
Introduction Summary:
The introduction (43 pp.) is geared towards making the Secretum understandable to students. The first section provides background on Italian urban life in the Middle Ages. The second section deals with Petrarch’s life and career. The third examines what humanism meant in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italy and to Petrarch. The lengthier fourth section summarizes the Secretum and examines some possible interpretations of the text.
Cataloger: JMB
