Francesco Guicciardini Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Donald J. Wilcox

Critical Essay by Donald J. Wilcox

SOURCE: "Guicciardini and the Humanist Historians," Annali d'Italianistica, Vol. 2, 1984, pp. 19-33.

In the following essay, Wilcox places Guicciardini within the tradition of Renaissance humanist historians but stipulates that Guicciardini's writings differ from the rest thanks to his understanding both of individual psychology and of the complex, changing connections between historical events.

Guicciardini's relation to the tradition of humanist historiography remains problematic despite considerable study over the past thirty years. Early attempts to dissociate Guicciardini were flawed by misunderstanding of the fundamental traits of humanist historiography. In 1950, Vittorio De Caprariis accepted a longstanding interpretation of the humanists when he saw them as pale and inaccurate reflections of the vernacular chroniclers, lacking interest in detail or critical method that would make them good sources for modern historians.¹ De Caprariis stressed Guicciardini's departure from the humanists and saw in the Storia d'Italia the qualities of careful research and attention to...
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