dolce stil novo

A poetic movement which developed in Florence at the end of the 13th-c and lasted until the beginning of the 14th-c. Its main exponents were Dante (who gave it its name in the Divine Comedy), Guido Guinizelli, Guido Cavalcanti, Lapo Gianni, and Cino da Pistoia. It was a new (novo) type of poetry, less provincial and more intellectual. Its principal theme is love, which is seen as a means of spiritual renewal through the woman-angel; contemplating her beauty can bring one closer to God. Minor themes are nobility seen as a quality rather than an inherited privilege, and friendship. Dante's dolce stil novo experience can be seen in the early poems (Vita nuova) and his treatment of the Beatrice character.

Dolce Stil Novo (Italian for 'The Sweet New Style') is the name given to the most important literary movement of 13th century Italy.

Compared to its precursors, the poetry we find in the Dolce Stil Novo is superior in quality and more intellectual: a more refined poetry with rampant use of metaphors and symbolism, as well as subtle double meanings. The adoration of the female beauty is explicitly portrayed by the Dolce Stil Novo poet, who frequently delves into deep introspection.

The two main concepts (introspection and love) are thus brought together as the poet enters his interior world to express his most inner feelings which are caused by an excessively divine female beauty.