In Italy and elsewhere, late Scholasticism had promoted a general rejection of concrete/practical evidence as “deceiving appearance”, in favour of logical reasoning. Hence, reality was often seen through the lens of the syllogism, that is, logical/ inferential relations between propositions. A great deal of early Italian narrative literature, both in prose and verse, has in common the parody/satire of such cultural positions. A sober realism, deeply rooted in experience and the observation of reality, is often radically opposed to such an abstract philosophy. By sketching the contours of such a literary tradition in Italy, this essay aims to assess how Leonardo da Vinci – as writer, narrator and fictional character – embodies this far-ranging cultural tradition, bearing in mind its truly European context.
The Naked Truth: Hands-On Visions of Life in Leonardo da Vinci and Early Italian Narrative Literature
zaccarello
2021-01-01
Abstract
In Italy and elsewhere, late Scholasticism had promoted a general rejection of concrete/practical evidence as “deceiving appearance”, in favour of logical reasoning. Hence, reality was often seen through the lens of the syllogism, that is, logical/ inferential relations between propositions. A great deal of early Italian narrative literature, both in prose and verse, has in common the parody/satire of such cultural positions. A sober realism, deeply rooted in experience and the observation of reality, is often radically opposed to such an abstract philosophy. By sketching the contours of such a literary tradition in Italy, this essay aims to assess how Leonardo da Vinci – as writer, narrator and fictional character – embodies this far-ranging cultural tradition, bearing in mind its truly European context.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
