Torquato Tasso, at the age of eighteen, composed his first epic poem, “Rinaldo.” It combines romantic epic — a form popularized by Italian masters like Boiardo and Ariosto — with classical influences from Virgil and Aristotle. Despite Tasso’s youth, his “Rinaldo” was a remarkably original achievement in terms of style, organization and plot. Tasso’s story-telling abilities are clear as he manages to shape an enormous array of characters, geographical backdrops, uncanny events and mysterious devices into an impressively...