Charles Speroni

This is the first ample collection of facetiae, or witty tales, from the Italian Renaissance to be published in English. Witty and wise anecdotes had been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans in the form of apothegms, but not until the Renaissance did the true facetia acquire an independent life and popularity, and begin to spread rapidly throughout Italy and beyond the Alps. The publication of Poggio Bracciolini's Liberfacetiarum was largely responsible for this vogue: his collection met with tremendous success and resulted in the assembly of numerous other collection of facetiae. The facetia, which has some affinities with the longer, more carefully elaborated novella, is a brief narrative, varying in length from a few lines to two or three pages, whose main purpose it to entertain an excite laughter, and often concludes with a piece of pungent repartee. Both the facetia and the novella have often been censured for licentiousness, but most of them have a healthy moral, or at least a shrewd bit of psychology to impart. Above all, the facetia, like the novella, adds a new dimension to the overall, complex picture of the Renaissance. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.

This is the first ample collection of facetiae, or witty tales, from the Italian Renaissance to be published in English. Witty and wise anecdotes had been known to the ancient Greeks and Romans in the form of apothegms, but not until the Renaissance did the true facetia acquire an independent life and popularity, and begin to spread rapidly throughout Italy and beyond the Alps. The publication of Poggio Bracciolini's Liberfacetiarum was largely responsible for this vogue: his collection met with tremendous success and resulted in the assembly of numerous other collection of facetiae. The facetia, which has some affinities with the longer, more carefully elaborated novella, is a brief narrative, varying in length from a few lines to two or three pages, whose main purpose it to entertain an excite laughter, and often concludes with a piece of pungent repartee. Both the facetia and the novella have often been censured for licentiousness, but most of them have a healthy moral, or at least a shrewd bit of psychology to impart. Above all, the facetia, like the novella, adds a new dimension to the overall, complex picture of the Renaissance. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1964.

Spoken Italian For Travelers And Tourists is a comprehensive guidebook designed to help travelers and tourists communicate effectively in Italian-speaking countries. Written by Charles Emil Kany, a renowned language expert, this book offers a practical and easy-to-follow approach to learning Italian for practical communication purposes. The book is divided into several chapters, each covering different aspects of the Italian language, including pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and common phrases. The first few chapters focus on basic Italian phrases and expressions that travelers will need to know, such as greetings, ordering food, asking for directions, and making small talk. As the book progresses, it delves deeper into the intricacies of the Italian language, covering more complex grammar rules and vocabulary. The author also provides helpful tips and tricks for mastering Italian pronunciation, which can be challenging for English speakers. One of the unique features of this book is its emphasis on practical communication skills. The author provides numerous examples of real-life situations that travelers might encounter, along with sample dialogues and phrases that can be used in those situations. This approach helps readers to quickly learn and apply the language in a practical context. Overall, Spoken Italian For Travelers And Tourists is an excellent resource for anyone planning to visit Italy or other Italian-speaking countries. Whether you are a complete beginner or have some prior knowledge of the language, this book will help you to communicate effectively and confidently in Italian. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.