Letters as a Vehicle for the Spread of Cultural Models

Notes on Ceccarella Minutolo and Her Noble Correspondents

Abstract

The collection of letters by Ceccarella Minutolo, composed between the late 1460s and early 1470s, offers a rich set of epistles centered on the theme of the “quistioni d’amore”, a literary genre deeply rooted in the tradition of Boccaccio. The literary game of letter-writing involved some of the most distinguished figures of the era, from Alfonso, the Duke of Calabria, to don Ferrando de Guivara, Count of Belcastro, from Francesco Acciapaccia to Giovanni Albino, all gathered in a revived “corte d’amore”. From the discussion of these disputes, an intricate epistolary network emerged, revealing facets of courtly rituals and the sophisticated lifestyles of the upper patriciate of the Kingdom, where epistolary culture and literary practice were of central importance. The essay concludes with an interpretative suggestion: the author’s monastic status may have influenced her choice of the epistolary genre.