Representations of Friendship in Medieval Italian Literature

Sponsoring Organization(s)

Italians and Italianists at Kalamazoo

Organizer Name

Kristina Olson

Organizer Affiliation

George Mason Univ.

Presider Name

Alfred Crudale

Presider Affiliation

Univ. of Rhode Island

Paper Title 1

The Peacock, the Thief, the Friend, and the Rival: On the Limits of Authorship in the Medieval Italian Tenzone

Presenter 1 Name

Elizabeth Coggeshall

Presenter 1 Affiliation

Stanford Univ.

Paper Title 2

Treason, Friendship, and Their Afterlife: The Fate of Ugolino and His Sons

Presenter 2 Name

James T. Chiampi

Presenter 2 Affiliation

Univ. of California-Irvine

Paper Title 3

To Love and Be Loved: Petrarchan Friendship in the Canzoniere and the Triumphs

Presenter 3 Name

Elizabeth Anderson

Presenter 3 Affiliation

Univ. of Chicago

Paper Title 4

In lei, in lui, o l'amore dell'amicizia: Dante tra San Bernardo e San Tommaso

Presenter 4 Name

Fortunato Trione

Presenter 4 Affiliation

Univ. of Toronto

Start Date

15-5-2015 3:30 PM

Session Location

Valley I Shilling Lounge

Description

In the Vita Nuova, Dante refers to Guido Cavalcanti as “primo de li miei amici,” and in novellas I.2 and IV.9 of the Decameron the underlining theme is the friendship between the main characters. What are the virtues of friendship which caused Aristotle to consider it necessary for life, or inspired Cicero’s view that friendship is more than a philosophical idea, but is a lived experience? How do medieval Italian writers treat the politics of friendship? This panel will present essays which examine the trope of amicizia as it is represented in medieval Italian literature, exploring the ethics of friendship, as well as the natural tension which is inherent in a friendship.

Kristina Olson