Petrarch's Africa I-IV: a translation and commentary.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-107).English-speaking scholars have neglected Francesco Petrarch's self-proclaimed masterwork, the Africa. Focusing on Petrarch's vernacular poetry and to a lesser extent his Latin prose, scholars overlook his Latin verse. Of Petrarch's major works, the Africa has received the least scholarly attention, inspiring to date only one monograph, one translation, and fewer than ten articles from English-speaking scholars. This discrepancy between Petrarch's opinions and those of his admirers inspired this thesis. This thesis provides first-time readers of Africa I-IV with a translation that brings the reader to Petrarch's Latin. The translation aims to preserve the tone and literal sense of the Latin original while maintaining smooth readability in English. A commentary, including grammatical annotations and discussing Petrarch's sources, inspiration, and historical context, accompanies the translation.by Erik Z. D. Ellis.M.A