The love of spectacle and the spectacular, central to so much of Giambattista Della Porta's work, also appears in his only text dedicated to pure mathematics, the Elementa curvilinea. While the text — with its errors, its unoriginal material, and its claim to have done the impossible, namely, squaring the circle — was treated to a polite silence by contemporary mathematicians and fellow members of the Accademia dei Lincei, it is nevertheless a fascinating document for literary scholars in terms of its inventive use of language, its attempts to induce marvel in its readers, and as a lens into understanding why Della Porta claimed a mathematical instrument — the proportional compass — to be his personal emblem.
Founded in 1983, Annali d’italianistica has become synonymous with timely and fundamental scholarship on Italy’s literary culture, employing broad historical, cultural, and literary perspectives that are of interest to a wide variety of scholars. Published annually and monographic in nature, the journal uses as its point of departure the study of Italian literature and the Humanities more generally to foster scholarly excellence at all levels. Annali d’italianistica is receptive to a variety of topics, critical approaches, and theoretical perspectives that cross disciplinary boundaries and span several centuries, from the beginning of Italy’s cultural history to the present.
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Annali d'Italianistica
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