Renaissance fables

the long version

"Based on recent critical editions, Renaissance Fables offers the first English versions of fables by Alberti, Scala, and Baldi, as well as a new translation of Leonardo's fables. While the fables themselves are often epigrammatically short, they engage large issues of human society and morality by means of symbols and situations borrowed from the world of nature. Extensive textual notes identify the authors' literary and scientific sources and provide cross-references that aid in our understanding of these often enigmatic works. Readers with an interest in Renaissance allegory, emblems, and philosophy, or in artists like Alberti and Leonardo, will find connections with their own disciplines."--BOOK JACKET.