Dedicated to the Renaissance concept of conversation, this work contains essays that investigate the varied ways in which the Renaissance incorporated textual conversation and dialogue into its literary, political, juridical, religious, and social practices. They focus on the importance of conversation to early modern understandings of ethics.
A group of leading scholars here investigate the varied ways in which the Renaissance incorporated conversation and dialogue into its literary, political, juridical, religious, and social practices. Across a range of texts and genres, the essays focus on the importance of conversation to early modern understandings of ethics; on literary history itself as an ongoing authorial conversation; and on the material and textual technologies that enabled early modern conversations.
'A valuable collection of essays"learned and readable"on the conversations in Renaissance texts across temporal, geographical, cultural, and gender boundaries. These nine essays not only explore but also exemplify civil, generous conversation, and thus are a tribute to its value, particularly welcome in our own time when contention often threatens to drown out conversation.' Achsah Guibbory, Barnard College 'Readers will inevitably pick and choose when they take up this eclectic collection, but most will discover something that satisfies and edifies.' Renaissance Quarterly
