Peter Burke - Play in Renaissance Italy

1 Cover

2 Dedication Dedication ‘Let’s joke, but seriously’ ( scherzare, sì, ma seriamente ) In memory of Umberto Eco, playful scholar

3 Title Page Play in Renaissance Italy Peter Burke polity

4 Copyright Copyright © Peter Burke 2021 The right of Peter Burke to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2021 by Polity Press Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4344-1 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

5 Preface

6 1 Introduction What is Play? The History of the History of Play

7 2 Fun and Games Outdoor Games Indoor Games Competition

8 3 Laughter Wordplay Visual Play Humour in Action Aggression: The Dark Side of Laughter

9 4 Play: For and Against Criticizing Play Defending Play The Serio-Comic

10 5 Who, Where and When? Professionals Amateurs The Clergy at Play Women at Play Child’s Play Play Groups Playgrounds Seasons of Play Carnival

11 6 New Trends The Counter-Reformation Campaign The Age of the Baroque Codification and Separation

12 7 Epilogue: Beyond 1650 The Invention of Leisure Five Trends

13 Dramatis Personae

14 Further Reading

15 Index

16 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Dedication

4 Title Page

5 Copyright

6 Preface

7 Begin Reading

8 Dramatis Personae

9 Further Reading

10 Index

11 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 2 Figure 1Calcio Fiorentino 1688

2 Chapter 3 Figure 2Self-portrait of Gian Paolo Lomazzo Figure 3Pasquino by Beatrizet

3 Chapter 5 Figure 4The dwarf Pietro Barbino Figure 5Bomarzo dragon

1 ii

2 iii

3 iv

4 vi

5 vii

6 1

7 2

8 3

9 4

10 5

11 6

12 7

13 8

14 9

15 10

16 11

17 12

18 13

19 14

20 15

21 16

22 17

23 18

24 19

25 20

26 21

27 22

28 23

29 24

30 25

31 26

32 27

33 28

34 29

35 30

36 31

37 32

38 33

39 34

40 35

41 36

42 37

43 38

44 39

45 40

46 41

47 42

48 43

49 44

50 45

51 46

52 47

53 48

54 49

55 50

56 51

57 52

58 53

59 54

60 55

61 56

62 57

63 58

64 59

65 60

66 61

67 62

68 63

69 64

70 65

71 66

72 67

73 68

74 69

75 70

76 71

77 72

78 73

79 74

80 75

81 76

82 77

83 78

84 79

85 80

86 81

87 82

88 83

89 84

90 85

91 86

92 87

93 88

94 89

95 90

96 91

97 92

98 93

99 94

100 95

101 96

102 97

103 98

104 99

105 100

106 101

107 102

108 103

109 104

110 105

111 106

112 107

113 108

114 109

115 110

116 111

117 112

118 113

119 114

120 115

121 116

122 117

123 118

124 119

125 120

126 121

127 122

128 123

129 124

130 125

131 126

132 127

133 128

134 129

135 130

136 131

137 132

138 133

139 134

140 135

141 136

142 137

143 138

144 139

145 140

146 141

147 142

148 143

149 144

150 145

151 146

152 147

153 148

154 149

155 150

156 151

157 152

158 153

159 154

160 155

161 156

162 157

163 158

164 159

165 160

166 161

167 162

168 163

169 164

170 165

‘Let’s joke, but seriously’ ( scherzare, sì, ma seriamente )

In memory of Umberto Eco, playful scholar

Peter Burke

polity

Copyright © Peter Burke 2021

The right of Peter Burke to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2021 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4344-1

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.

For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

A Chinese painter, explaining to his pupils how to paint a grove of bamboo, told them to meditate for months on bamboo, to try to become a bamboo, and then produce their painting in a matter of minutes. In similar fashion, this essay in synthesis, although short and written in the course of a few months, has been long in the making. Writing about festivals, and in particular about Carnival, in my Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe (1978) made me want to continue in this direction. Conversations with Philippe Ariès a few months later led to an invitation to give a paper at a conference in Tours in 1980 concerned with ‘Les jeux à la Renaissance’. A conference on ‘tempo libero’, held in Prato in 1992, allowed me to explore the history of the idea of leisure. Writing a book about Castiglione’s Courtier , a dialogue that is presented as a game, encouraged thought about playfulness in the culture of the High Renaissance. A conference on the cultural history of humour, organized by Jan Bremmer and Herman Roodenburg and held in Amsterdam, was the occasion for a paper on ‘Frontiers of the Comic’, that turned into a chapter in a collective study of the history of humour, published in 1997. 1In short, I feel that I have been preparing for this essay for more than forty years without knowing it. I have occasionally stolen sentences from my past self in order to construct it, but I believe that this book offers new ideas as well as developing thoughts that were originally expressed in print elsewhere in new directions.