Through a close scrutiny of Boccaccio's "Decameron" and the works of his epigones, this book presents a synthesis of the medieval and Renaissance novella and proposes a model against which subsequent works of short fiction can be tested. This analysis furthermore establishes that, with the "Decameron, " Boccaccio created a new genre in short narrative. It shows that throughout his work, he suggests the literary tenets of a narrative archetype and conceptualizes it in such a functional format that it could be used and imitated for centuries by his numerous followers.

Tutte le manifestazioni teatrali a Mantova, al tempo di Isabella d'Este Gonzaga (1490-1539), hanno sempre interessato studiosi di teatro italiano rinascimentale e lettori in genere. Questo libro si concentra in maniera specifica sugli attori, operatori teatrali, architetti, musicisti, cantori coinvolti nelle opere teatrali prodotte alla Corte dei Gonzaga di Mantova. In tal modo l'opera assume un carattere storico, interdisciplinare, mettendo allo stesso tempo in luce la partecipazione e la committenza di Isabella d'Este Gonzaga, la -Prima donna del mondo.-"