Study Guide for Petrarch
Go here for a
picture of Mount Ventoux
Petrarch's
Familiares
Petrarch's
Canzoniere
Information
on Petrarch
Information
on Renaissance humanism
Discussion Questions
"Ascent of Mount Ventoux,"
"Letter to
Posterity," and "Letter
to Homer."
-
Why does Petrarch want to climb Mount Ventoux?
-
What does Petrarch do when he reaches the summit of Mount Ventoux? What
does he learn about himself?
-
Compare Petrarch's experience at the summit of Mount Ventoux to Augustine's
experience in the garden when he hears the children saying "pick up and
read." (Ignore this question if our class didn't read St. Augustine.)
-
What does Petrarch say about love on pp. 15-16 of the Musa edition? How is
this different from Dante's attitude toward love? What kind of love is
Petrarch talking about here?
-
Compare Petrarch's view of pagan literature and culture to that of the
medieval and Christian authors we have read.
-
How is Petrarch's view of himself, the world, and his relationship to the
world different from that of the medieval and Christian authors we have
read?
-
Why does Petrarch write his letter to posterity? In what sense does
it reflect the perspective of a modern, rather than a medieval mind?
Do you feel that this is a useful, or even a valid distinction to make?
-
Why does Petrarch write a letter to Homer--isn't Homer dead?
Canzoniere
- Compare the first sonnet of the Canzoniere to the opening lines of
the Iliad, Aeneid, and Divine Comedy.
- Compare Petrarch's attitude toward Laura in these poems to Dante's
attitude toward Beatrice in the Divine Comedy.
- Compare Petrarch's depiction of himself in these poems to Dante's
depiction of himself in the Divine Comedy.