Transparency And Dissimulation: Configurations ... -

: The acknowledgment that these truths are often hidden, veiled, or "dissimulated" behind complex allegories and poetic forms. This duality reflects a broader Renaissance anxiety regarding the reliability of perception and the nature of truth. Key Literary Figures and Applications

This research was conducted within the "Transformations of Antiquity" collaborative research center in Berlin. It emphasizes that Neoplatonism was not just "inherited" from the past but was actively transformed. These transformations often involved a hybridity of ideas, where Neoplatonic love and beauty were negotiated alongside skepticism and the shifting religious identities of the Reformation.

: The monograph connects these ideas to the wider "Transformations of Antiquity," showing how early modern writers adapted classical thought to suit contemporary theological and political contexts. The Influence of "Transformations of Antiquity" Transparency and Dissimulation: Configurations ...

Lobsien traces these philosophical strands through the works of several major English authors, with a particular focus on:

: Specifically, the study looks at The Faerie Queene , where Neoplatonism provides the framework for understanding aesthetic perfection and moral virtue. : The acknowledgment that these truths are often

: The belief that the material world can become "transparent" to the divine, allowing the human soul to glimpse eternal truths through beauty and art.

Core Philosophical Tension: Transparency vs. Dissimulation It emphasizes that Neoplatonism was not just "inherited"

Scholars from Spenser Online and Academia.edu have noted the book's "intellectual rigour" in linking aesthetic perfection with Neoplatonic metaphysics, cementing it as a foundational text for understanding the philosophical underpinnings of early modern prose and poetry. Verena Olejniczak Lobsien, Transparency and Dissimulation