Mrs. Glucksman
Mrs. Glucksman
English 3 Honors Periods 3, 4, 6
November 12, 2015
Sprezzatura
Baldessarre Castiglione coined the term sprezzatura in The Courtier (1528), an
instruction manual for the proper behavior and activities of knights of a court. A courtier
in the court of the duke of Urbino in the early sixteenth century, Castiglione framed his
directions in a fictitious conversation among courtiers, who discussed ways to honor their
sovereign: statesmanship, the proper athletics (fencing and horsemanship), dress, decorum,
eloquent writing and scholarhip, relationships with other courtiers and with women. In writing
and other areas, Castiglione opined that courtiers—the most gifted of men—should exhibit
sprezzatura, “artful artlessness”: they had to make a difficult task look easy and graceful. While
Castiglione directed his remarks to men of elevated station in the early Renaissance, individuals
who exhibit sprezzatura in the democratic United States in the twenty-first century are those who
earn universal respect as well.
Of course, those who write novels that engage the public and who use words carefully
and effectively follow the spirit of Castiglione’s sprezzatura.
A. Charles Frazier-Cold Mountain-1st sentence.
B. Russell Baker-1st line of autobiography
C. Female writer
Another element of Castiglione’s courtier is that he can win battles for his nobleman and
perform skillfully in sports. This quality, too, is present our modern era—and it, too, is a trait
that is not exclusive to men.
A. Athletics-NY Times article-Magic Johnson-hands, height, smile
B. NYTimes-Olympic marathon runner from Africa
While curtiers were also adept at interpersonal relationships and made their actions in
their post-Medieval look easy, modern humans beings have this capacity as well.
Interior Paragraph 3-Demeanor-People whom I respect
A. Mario Cuomo
B. Understanding psych. Of others-forgiving, calm convincing, winning
C. Postive in the face of tragedy-faith, rold=e model Phyllis
Interior Paragraph 4-COUNTERARGUMENT-Some may say that . . .
CONCLUSION:
Sprezzatura still requires honing a skill and making it look easy to others Contemporary
meaning-democratic—not confined to people of noble birth. . All can aspire to it, and some can
attain.