Reference no: EM133777493

Problem: "Renaissance Primary Source Readings"

I. Give yourself some context. Who are the three writers whose texts you're reading here? Why are they important? Why are these texts important?

II. Describe the library Cincius Romanus visits in the first text. What does he find there? What attitude does he hold towards the ancient Roman books? How does he feel about books in general?

III. Turn to the second text now. Why does Alberti think it was easier to get good at the arts in antiquity than it was in his own time? Do you think ancient art is better than Renaissance art? (Sure! You get to have an opinion on that!)

IV. Read the part where Alberti talks about his book "On Painting" on page 17 of the pdf. What fields of study does he think a painter needs to know? Would you agree? What language did he write that book in? Have you ever heard of that language before? Why is it significant that he wrote the book in that language instead of Latin (which is the language this letter was written in)?

V. Text three is one of very few this semester that we have read by women! Whoo hoo! One of the aims of this text was to provide evidence for the author's argument that women CAN be political leaders. Describe de Pisan's argument, and the historical evidence she uses to back up that argument. Why do you think she drew evidence from that particular part of the world instead of Europe, where she was from? Do you think this means anything deeper about the difference between the western and eastern traditions?