Ludovico Agostini’s 'Imaginary Republic': Utopia in the Italian Renaissance

Description

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.  Translator’s Note Contents Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Part I: Ludovico Agostini’s Imaginary Republic and Italian Renaissance Utopianism Chapter 2: Searching for Italian Renaissance Utopias Utopia and Utopianism What Is Italian Renaissance Utopianism? Italian Renaissance Utopias: A Genealogical Approach Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 3: Ludovico Agostini and His Time Agostini, Utopianism, and His Time The Life of a Renaissance Utopist8 Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 4: The Imaginary Republic and Agostini’s Utopianism Context, Structure, and Title of the Imaginary Republic The Literary Genre of Dialogue in Italian Renaissance Utopias The Characters of the Imaginary Republic Agostini’s Conceptualisation of Utopia Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Part II: Ludovico Agostini’s Imaginary Republic: Translation and Endnotes Chapter 5: The Origin of Laws and Utopia Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 6: The Cardinal Virtues Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 7: The Imaginary Society I: The Health System Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 8: The Imaginary Society II: The Political System and the Military Organisation Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Chapter 9: The Imaginary Society III: The Economic System Bibliography Primary Sources Secondary Sources Index