LITERATURE 



TABLE OF ITALIAN LITERATURE 



The oldest existing libraries have been found 

 in Italy and in that country have been preserved 

 the oldest and most valuable Greek and Latin 



Among these are the palimpsest, "De 

 Republica," of Cicero, believed to aate as far 

 back as the Third Century, the famous "Codex 

 Vaticanus" of the Fourth Century, and the 

 equally ancient "Virgil" and "Terence." Italy 

 of the Middle Ages clung to classical traditions 

 and when at the end of the Fifth Century the 

 fighting bands from the North conquered the 

 Roman world Latin thought held its power while 

 political Rome was lost. During years that 

 followed the Italians treasured memories of 

 Rome and fought against the encroaching 

 Hohen.staufen Empire, and from this ah 

 interest in political questions they were attracted 



iti\e and practical subjects, especially 

 the study of Roman law. Those who turned 

 toward theology generally went to Paris for 



study, while in Italy tin- schools for laymen edu- 



eholars and writers win. 



grammar and rhetoric, and such |toeta as For- 

 tunatus. All tli. -tain culture 



in that barbarous age and had great influence 



Mure Italian literature. 



When legends, poem-, and tales appear- i in 

 other countries and among other Latin peoples, 

 Italian writers and students, still interested in 

 history ami law. copied these from the : 

 and ( lennan. hut made the romance of the 



Troubadors into serious history, written in the 

 Latin language. Even the religious legend, 

 so popular in that age, was little known, or ap- 

 preciated in Italy. Prosaic lives of the saints, 

 historical chronicles, and translations from 

 Aristotle's philosophy and Marco Polo's travels 

 were gathered into long series of facts. This 

 hindered the literary growth of the new language 

 And there was no real Italian writing before the 

 Thirteenth Century. Especially in the last half 

 of that century the new literatim' grew, in the 

 north of Italy chiefly, in the form of religious 

 poems intended to he recited to the jn'ople. and 

 in the south in love poems of ideality, feeling. 

 and sentiment. The stirring religion* move- 

 ment of that age. when the two great orders of 

 Saint Francis and Saint Dominic arose, influ- 

 enced all Italian life and letters. Many poems 

 or hymns have been attributed to Francis of 

 Assisi and others to (hi- >pone. who 



was a mystic .md a most original \\riter. 



At this time. too. the religious drama began 

 with an old hermit. Fasani. who had conic out 

 from his cavern in the year TJ.VS. and suddenly 

 appeared in Perugia. Life was hard in Italy 

 during these years, the never-ceasing quarrels 

 between the Guelphs and the Cluhellines, the 

 frequent interdict* and excommunication 

 the popes and the tyrannous cruelty of the nohl. *. 

 added to famines and plagues, kept the people 

 m constant fear. Fastani added to this un- 



