Submitted to: Submitted by

Rev. Fr, Dr. Bijesh Philip Fr. Rijo Geevarghese

Study of Text: Letter to Posterity by Francesco Petrarch

Petrarch was one of the earliest scholars in the Renaissance and is seen as ‘the father
of humanism’ and is considered by many to be the ‘father of the Renaissance’1. He remained
for more than three hundred years the most influential poet in Europe. He viewed that the future
of classical scholarship depended on the recovery and understanding of Greek works and their
application to the modern world. Through the collection of his “Familiar Letters”2, Petrarch
revisited the authors of the ancient world and introduced a new genre of writing, which shaped
much of his later writings too. In “Familiar Letters”, he reflects his view on the ancient world
through the eyes of the authors of the period. In his later work “Letter to Posterity” he addresses
the future generations3, reflecting his exploration of the self.

In Letter to Posterity, Petrarch provides an autobiographical summary. Petrarch wrote

this letter over time, and he frequently revisited it. Its final revision was done in 1372,
intentionally putting it as the final work of his collected “Letters of Old Age”4. Although he
frequently revisited this letter, it was left unfinished. In this narrative, he speaks of his early life,
Physical appearance, preference for simplicity, closeness with renowned people, admiration for
antiquity and attitude towards his style of writing. In revealing the poet’s opinion of himself,
Petrarch is also trying to give a picture of the origin of the Renaissance period. We know that
Petrarch had already written letters to the past but in “the letter to Posterity” he is sending a
letter to the centuries that were to come.

Let us examine this letter and extract the message that Petrarch wants to tell us:

1. Petrarch’s early life

Petrarch simply begins by introducing himself, assuming that future readers will be keen to know
who he is. This very approach of drawing the attention of people to some particular person

1
Krishna Kumar, World Literature: A Non-British Approach, (Chitson: Usha Books, 2023), 49.
2
Mark Musa, Petrarch - ''Letter to Posterity'' [Musa], (Internet Archives
https://archive.org/details/petrarchlettertoposteritymusa/page/n9/mode/2up), 1 from now onwards Posterity…
3
Posterity means the people who will exist in the future cf Cmabridge dictionary,
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/posterity
4
Petrarch begun a second collection of letters in 1361, also known as Letters of Old Age. It contains 128 letters
written between 1361 and 1373. It is also broken down and sorted into volumes (18 books). The final letter, the
first and only of the 18th book is his incomplete Letter to Posterity.
proves the basic ideas of humanism. Petrarch writes, “Perhaps you will want to know what
kind of man I was.”5 This phrase shows that from Petrarch’s perspective, people would always
be interested in the achievements and failures of other human beings, especially known figures.

2. Physical appearance

Here when Petrarch speaks about himself, he does not avoid describing some physical
aspects of his life. One of the first descriptions that Petrarch gives of himself is, “My body was
always very sound”6. It is another strong connection to philosophy and culture, where the
beauty of the human body was appreciated. However, Petrarch also mentions negative
experiences related to his body. He acknowledges the discomfort of old age. He also says he
was not “free from physical lust.”7 At the same time, he does not support the medieval catholic
idea of lust being an all-destroying sin. Unlike the age of European enlightenment, Petrarch as
an initiator of the Renaissance does not draw any dividing line between the revival of ancient
philosophy and his Christian upbringing. Frequently he refers to his Christian teaching, For
instance, when he speaks of the source of his wisdom and knowledge, he says, “I was given
the lesson by the Creator of all times and ages.”8

3. Preference for simplicity

Petrarch acknowledges his noble upbringing. He speaks of the necessity of wealth but
hates the concerns and anxiety associated with a rich and luxurious life. Petrarch finds big
banquets and gatherings unpleasant, he says, “I always found so-called banquets distasteful,
considering them excuses for gluttony and inimical to modesty and decency.”9 For him, the
main sources of happiness are, in gatherings of friends. It is another important characteristic of
humanism which unlike epicurean philosophy10 finds joy in Human happiness, living well,
friendship, and the avoidance of excesses.

4. Closeness with renowned people

Petrarch was a popular name among the noble families of his time. He was on good terms with
kings and people of noble ranks. But he kept himself away from most of them primarily because

5
Posterity…2
6
Posterity…1
7
Posterity…2
8
Posterity…1
9
Posterity…3
10
Epicurean Philosophy/Epicureanism is associated with the philosophy taught by Epicurus (341–270 BCE). In
popular view Epicureanism means devotion to pleasure, comfort, and high living. The English idiom “eat, drink
and be merry, for tomorrow we may die” is often ascribed to Epicurus.
he found them incompatible with the freedom that he loved. He says, “So deeply rooted in me
was my love of liberty that I strenuously rejected any who found the word itself unpalatable”.11
One of the common elements that one can find in all the early humanists is this intrinsic longing
for liberty.

5. Admiration for antiquity

Petrarch had great admiration for antiquity so much so that he wished to have been born
in any other period than his own. He says, “In order to forget my own time, I have constantly
striven to place myself in the spirit in other ages, and consequently I delighted in history”,
which is visible in his works like “Letter to Friends”. In this quest of finding reclusion, he also
writes about his gradual re-inclination to the Holy Scriptures. He says, “In the course of time I
left the latter (philosophy and poetry) alone and took great pleasure in the Holy Scriptures,
finding a hidden sweetness in them that I had once despised, and treating works of poets as
purely ornamental.” This tendency to seek distraction and relief from certain circumstances is
a characteristic that one can find even in the life of Renaissance artists.

6. Attitude toward literary style

For Petrarch, the style of his writing is not something that came up as an academic
discipline but rather emanated naturally and organically. This might be the reason he didn’t
consider his style to be clear and powerful as others speaks of him and saw them as weak and
confusing. It seems like, for him, the life that he lived was of more importance than the words
that he spoke. He says, “If only I have lived well, I care little how well I spoke.”12

Further in this letter, we see scattered portions of his travels and pursuits from his early
twenties through his forties. During this period, he travelled to many great places all across
Europe. Though this portion is incomplete one can read between the lines the adventurous
journey of Petrarch, writing several literary works, meeting people, numerous letters, and
philosophical and moral works. He finally settled at Padua for two years and died on July 19th,
137413, he was found with his head resting on a manuscript of Virgil ( Roman poet, 70-19
BCE).

11
Ibid.
12
Posterity… 5
13
Julia Convey, Mark Musa. Ed, The Italian Renaissance READER, (New York: New American Library,
1987), 1.
Conclusion

To Posterity is an important text for the study of Renaissance humanism. It enables

readers to comprehend the changes that Renaissance humanists sought to bring about in society
at the time. Unlike the present-day definition of Humanism which is ‘without God’, Petrarch
and other early humanist through their writings presents a view that unites faith with the views
of philosophy. Petrarch’s works are quite valuable because the author describes life in a rather
conversational and individualistic manner so that anyone of any era can relate. He was able to
touch those spheres of life with his writings that led to the foundation for Humanism. It could
be said to have given the European Renaissance its direction.

Bibliography

Kumar, Krishna, World Literature: A Non-British Approach, Chiton: Usha books, 2023
King, Margaret. Renaissance Humanism: An Anthology of Sources. Masacheutts Hackett
Publishing Company, Incorporated, 2014.
Julia, Mark Musa. Ed, The Italian Renaissance READER, New York: New American Library,
1987.
Webliography
Musa,Mark, Petrarch - ''Letter to Posterity'' [Musa], (Internet Archives
https://archive.org/details/petrarchlettertoposteritymusa/page/n9/mode/2up)
Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/posterity