A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance / With special reference to the influence of Italy in the formation and development of modern classicism

This study traces the development of literary criticism in Renaissance Europe, treating Italian criticism from Dante to Tasso, French criticism from Du Bellay to Boileau, and English criticism from Ascham to Milton. Concentrating on the sixteenth century, it examines efforts to justify imaginative literature, the introduction and interpretation of Aristotelian canons, and systematic theories of poetry, drama, and epic. It emphasizes the role of Italian humanism and rationalist approaches in producing a neo-classic spirit that shaped subsequent French and English critical practice. The work balances classical and romantic elements in each tradition and follows how principles about function, form, and dramatic unities became articulated and institutionalized.