Renaissance Comic Tales of Love, Treachery and Revenge

This collection of sixteen tales by the master story tellers of the Italian Renaissance resonates with Italian folklore, popular culture, and the often earthy humor that formed the basis of Renaissance notions of paradox and irony and later found their way into Italian opera and the plays of Shakespeare. Authors include Matteo Bandello, Gentile Sermini, Antonfrancesco Grazzini, Masuccio Salernitano, Giovanni Gherardi, and Lorenzo de' Medici. First English edition, illustrated, introduction, glossary, and bibliography.