Böcker av Antonio Donato

This book offers the first English translation and comprehensive analysis (inclusive of introductory study and endnotes to the translation) of the longest and most complex Italian Renaissance utopia, Ludovico Agostini¿s Imaginary Republic. It not only reveals the significance of a text that has been mostly forgotten; it also shows how an investigation of Imaginary Republic uncovers neglected and surprising facets of Renaissance utopianism. The current scholarly image of Renaissance utopianism is based, predominantly, on English texts. Other European utopian traditions are considered only tangentially and do not substantially inform the overall picture of the nature of Renaissance utopias. This book¿s study of Imaginary Republic, within the context of Italian sixteenth- and seventeenth-century utopias, contributes to filling this gap in the critical literature by expanding the current understanding of Renaissance utopianism.

This book provides the first English study (comprehensive of introductory essays, translations, and notes) of five prominent Italian Renaissance utopias: Doni's Wise and Crazy World, Patrizi's The Happy City, and Zuccolo's The Republic of Utopia, The Republic of Evandria, and The Happy City.