Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition is a 1964 non-fiction book by British historian Frances A. Yates. The book delves into the history of Hermeticism and its influence upon Renaissance philosophy and Giordano Bruno.
 Front cover art for Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition | |
| Author | Frances A. Yates |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
Publication date | 1964 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (book) |
| Pages | 466 |
| ISBN | 0-226-95007-7 |
| OCLC | 23685519 |
| Followed by | The Art of Memory |
With the publication of Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition, Yates transformed Renaissance historiography. In it, she revealed the hermeticism with which the Renaissance was imbued, and the revived interest in mysticism, magic and Gnosticism of Late Antiquity that survived the Middle Ages. In the face of longstanding conventional interpretations, Yates suggested that the itinerant Catholic priest Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in 1600 for espousing the Hermetic tradition rather than his affirmation of heliocentricity.
Reception
editAlan Charles Kors and Edward Peters, the editors of the book Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History stated in the 2001 second edition of their collection of historical documents on the witchcraft hysteria that "this classic work [GBHT] remains" among the best of its kind on the subject.[1]
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In popular culture
editThe book is cited by British writer Philip Pullman as a central inspiration for his own writing.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kors, Alan; Peters, Edward (2001). Witchcraft in Europe, 400-1700: A Documentary History. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1751-9.
- ^ Pullman, Philip (January 2011). "Leave the libraries alone. You don't understand their value". Archived from the original on 2011-01-27.
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Further reading
edit- Brann, H. W. (1966). "Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition (Book)". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 5 (3): 468–469. doi:10.2307/1384177. JSTOR 1384177.
- de Santillana, Giorgio (January 1965). "Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition. By Frances A. Yates". The American Historical Review. 70 (2): 455–457. doi:10.1086/ahr/70.2.455.
- Donnelly, G. A. (1965). "[Review of the book Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition]". Journal of the History of Philosophy. 3 (2): 276–278. doi:10.1353/hph.2008.1470.
- Giglioni, G. (2014). "Who is Afraid of Frances Yates? 'Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition' (1964) Fifty Years Later". Bruniana & Campanelliana. 20 (2): 421–432. JSTOR 24339075.