New publication: Frank Fehrenbach und Joris van Gastel (eds.): Nature and the Arts in Early Modern Naples

22 September 2020

The literary, artistic and scholarly culture of Early Modern Naples is closely linked to the city's natural topography. It ranges from Iacopo Sannazaro's poetic evocation of the Campanian landscape to Giambattista Vico's approach, embedding human civilization in the existential confrontation with natural forces. Featuring the open sea, a forbidding coastline, as well as the threatening presence of Mount Vesuvius, the image of Naples, more than any other city in the Early Modern period, became associated with the forces of nature in the collective imagination. Even its populace was interpreted as a force of nature.

In volume seven of the series „Naturbilder. Images of Nature“ (Verlag De Gruyter, Berlin-Boston), art, literary, and science historians examine the convergence of culture and nature in a unique geographical context.

Frank Fehrenbach and Joris van Gastel (eds.): Nature and the Arts in Early Modern Naples. Berlin/Boston: De Gryuter 2020. 285 pages. ISBN: 978-3110599220.