Tommaso Garzoni's Encyclopaedia of Wonders and the European Debate on Superstition and Marvels of the late Renaissance

ongoing

"This innovative, interdisciplinary project aims to provide the first historical and philosophical analysis of Tommaso Garzoni’s understudied encyclopaedic work on wonders ""Il serraglio degli stupori del mondo"" (1613) within the context of late Renaissance debate on marvels. The Protestant denial of Purgatory ignited a heated debate over the spiritual status of ghosts, sprites and spirits, which were understood as diabolical manifestations. This debate spread over time, engulfing other forms of preternatural phenomena, and yielded an epistemology of wonders intended to distinguish true from false prodigies and actual miracles from superstition as well as to redefine the limits of Nature. An enthusiastic scientific interest in marvels took root alongside the anxiety over diabolical deceits. Garzoni’s work addressed both the religious and scientific preoccupations. By analysing the ""Serraglio"" within the broader context of the European vernacular debate on marvels and superstitions, the GARZONI project will provide new insights into the circulation of scientific knowledge among non-specialist audiences, investigate the intermingling of learned culture and popular creeds and analyse the debate’s scientific and epistemological impact. The project will follow three main research directions: 1) the reconstruction of the editorial history of the ""Serraglio""; 2) a study of its scientific sources; 3) the contextualization of the ""Serraglio"" within the coeval corpus of miscellaneous and encyclopaedic vernacular works on magic, divination and superstition. Dr Valentina Serio is a young researcher with international experience in the United States and the United Kingdom. Thanks to her past experiences as well as the knowledge and training she will receive during this GF at the University of Stanford, Warwick University and Ca’ Foscari, Serio will grow as a prominent scholar and significantly contribute to Renaissance intellectual history. "