Miré los muros de la patria mía y la tradición poética de las ruinas
The sonnet Mire los muros de la patria mia by Quevedo has traditionally been read from two main perspectives. The first dwells upon the spiritual concept of death and the author's reflections upon this subject. The second reading puts political aspects rather than spiritual reflections at the forefront and presents the poem as a reflection of the decadence of Spain under the reign of the Austrias. This article is not a new reading but rather an analysis of the symbol of ruins in the poem, which reconciles the two principal interpretations of the poem.
"Heráclito Cristiano" y "Lágrimas de un Penitente": el problema textual
Aproximación a los problemas textuales de las colecciones «Heráclito Cristiano» y «Lágrimas de un Penitente» y a su historia editorial. Se pos tula la validez de «Lágrimas de un Penitente» como obra de Quevedo, no de los editores y la necesidad de que ambos conjuntos sean considerados como colecciones poéticas distintas, no intercambiables entre sí, según las fuentes originales: los manuscritos en el caso del «Heráclito Cristiano» y la edición de 1670 en «Lágrimas de un Penitente». Analysis of the textual problems in the «Heráclito Cristiano» and «Lágrimas de un Penitente» collections, establishing that «Lágrimas de un Penitente» is indeed the work of Quevedo, not of his editors. According to the data, «Heráclito» and «Lágrimas» are related but distinct collections, and «Heráclito» manuscripts and the 1670 edition of «Lágrimas» must be respected.
The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy
In this newly revised edition of his widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. He discusses the social and political institutions that existed in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he analyzes the ways of thinking and seeing that characterized this period of extraordinary artistic creativity. Developing a distinctive approach, the author is concerned not only with the finished works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, but also with the social background, patterns of recruitment, and means of subsistence of this "cultural elite." He thus makes a major contribution both to our understanding of the Italian Renaissance and to our comprehension of the complex relations between culture and society. An excellent social history of the lives and culture of the artists and artisans which made it possible for the arts to flourish.