The sixteenth century was not only prolific for the writing of epic poetry in Europe but also for the theorization and codification of the genre. As the editors point out in their introduction, critics during this period reconciled the uninterrupted tradition of commentary on Virgil and Homer with new critical ideas, neo-Aristotelian poetics, and contemporary poetic praxis (13). This comparative collection centers on two main themes in the epic theory of the period: the links between epic and power and the importance of heroic poetry in the construction of national identity.

The book is organized into three main sections with an appendix of prologues and dedicatory letters from fifteen Spanish heroic poems. The volume includes a useful index of names and topics along with a current bibliography. The first section is composed solely of Lara Vilá’s provocative essay, “Épica y Poder En El Renacimiento.” She argues that sixteenth-century epic cannot be explained solely by contemporary theory, which was primarily concerned with the structural aspects of an epic poem. Such poetry, Vilá maintains, ought rather to be read in light of the moral and political functions that epic served.

The second section of the volume traces the idea of epic in sixteenth-century Europe through four national traditions: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. Cesc Esteve's chapter reviews theories of epic poetry in Italy, maintaining that these were incomplete since they were primarily concerned with aesthetic elements and ignored the political function of the genre. Such a failure, however, is not exclusive to Italian epic theory as none of the theories featured in the volume explicitly discuss the political function of epic. As Vilá’s essay demonstrates, such a lack of political consciousness did not preclude the political and moral utility of epic poetry, which was authorized by a long-standing interpretive tradition.

Despite the lack of any formal treatises, María José Vega makes a strong case for the existence of Spanish theories of epic based on the prefatory and paratextual materials that accompanied many of these poems. She also demonstrates that the Spanish epic theory of this period resembles the humanistic theory of history, as heroic poetry was considered both a form of history and a manual of ethical, political and military virtues. In their appendix to the volume, the editors helpfully include most of the material Vega cites. Hélio J. S. Alves both synthesizes Portuguese epic theory and traces the methodological evolution of epic narration in Portugal from a concern of rhetorical dispositio to a focus on selecting the proper action for an epic plot. Bruno Méniel's chapter provides a broad study of French epic theory, emphasizing both the rhetorical aspects of epic composition and the notion of the epic genre as the synthesis of all poetry. Finally, Giovanni Caravaggi's brief excursus closes this main section with a discussion of the theoretical problems that the narration of discoveries and conquests in the New World posed for epic poets.

The final section of the book discusses the relationship of epic to the romanzo. Daniel Javitch shows how theorists such as Giraldi, Minturno, and Tasso tend to define, and even codify epic poetry through their critiques of Ariostan chivalric romances. He argues that from the discourse used to discredit the romanzo, one can already deduce the requirements an epic poem must fulfill based on those that the romanzo does not (222). Donatella Gagliardi's essay concludes this collection by discussing the uneasy relationship between epic poetry, history, and libros de caballerías in sixteenth-century Spain, with a specific focus on Alonso López Pinciano's Philosophia antigua poetica (1596).

The editors are to be commended as the essays in this volume provide an excellent breadth of coverage and different perspectives on sixteenth-century epic theory while firmly grounding their discussions in earlier scholarship. The contributions emphasize the importance of epic theory within its contemporary sociopolitical context, the importance and dominance of neo-Aristotelian ideas in the codification of the genre and the latticework of relationships between epic theory, poetic praxis and national identity. Taken as a whole, the collection carefully traces out an intellectual geography that transcends nationalist boundaries and elevates the study of epic theory from a purely literary pursuit to an important moment in European intellectual history.