French Literature Reviews - 2026

Aretino, Ragionamenti (2 vols.)
Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Pietro Aretino, Ragionamenti I, Ragionamenti II

Translated by Paul Larivaille

Paris, Les Belles Lettres, coll. "Bibliothèque italienne", August 2008,

Volume 1: 512 pp., ISBN (EAN13): 978-2-251-73001-1, €37.00

Volume 2: 688 pp., ISBN (EAN13): 978-2-251-73003-5, €39.00

Pietro Aretino stands among the most distinctive and provocative literary figures of the Italian Renaissance, widely known for his sharp satire, epistolary mastery, and subversion of traditional courtly decorum. The Ragionamenti belong to a rich tradition of vernacular dialogue that flourished in sixteenth-century Italy, where authors used conversational frameworks to probe social hypocrisy, moral conventions, and the complexities of urban life. Readers interested in Renaissance literature, Italian satire, and the history of the dialogue form may find this scholarly two-volume set a relevant addition to their studies.