ON THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING AN INDIVIDUAL
IN RENAISSANCE
ITALY
HANEY FOUNDATION SERIES
A volume in the Haney Foundation Series, established in 1961
with the generous support of Dr. John Louis Haney
ON THE
IMPORTANCE
OF BEING AN INDIVIDUAL
IN RENAISSANCE
ITALY
Men, Their Professions, and Their Beards
DOUGLAS BIOW
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2015 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
A Cataloging-in-Publication record is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 978-0-8122-4671-1
ToSimone, Erica, and Giulia,because I promised them I’d dedicatemy next book to them,
ToAnnabelle and Annamaria,because they came into my lifewhile I completed this book,
ToDavid,because he would probablybe somewhat miffedif he weren’t in the dedication
Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me. You would seem to know my stops. You would pluck out the heart of my mystery. You would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass. And there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak? ’Sblood, do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.
—William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Reflection shows us that our image of happiness is thoroughly colored by the time to which the course of our existence has assigned us.
—Walter Benjamin, Thesis on the Philosophy of History
Brian (shouting to his followers): Look, you’ve got it all wrong. You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anyone. You’ve got to think for yourselves. You’re all individuals.
Followers (shouting back in unison): Yes. We’re all individuals.
Brian: You’re all different.
Followers: Yes. We are all different.
A male follower: I’m not.
Another follower (hushing him): Shh, shh, shh.
—Monty Python, Life of Brian
CONTENTS
Chapter 2. Reflections on Professions and Humanism in Renaissance Italy and the Humanities Today
Chapter 5. Facing the Day: Reflections on a Sudden Change in Fashion and the Magisterial Beard
PREFACE
