The puzzling hero. Studies on Christopher Columbus and the culture of his age

The years that preceded and followed the 5th Centennial of the discovery of America produced a great number of studies on the event and on its protagonists (in the first place, of course, Christopher Columbus). This caused a notable shift in perspective from the way they had been considered in the past. A more mature view of the events has now been introduced, given the awareness that Columbus' discovery is the most significant moment in a long process of European people's widening of their geographical horizon. This process started at least two Centuries before the discovery itself and was concluded only at the dawn of the 19th Century.The studies explored more deeply Columbus' enigmatic figure, certainly not an ordinary character, tenacious and determined, an exceptional sailor, but also a man of his time, with all the weaknesses and preconceptions typical of a very particular cultural education.Ilaria Luzzana Caraci gave a valid contribution to the renewal of the Columbus' historiography producing many studies on Columbus, on the conceptual genesis of discovery, on its effects on contemporary culture and, more generally, on the Columbus' historiography itself. These studies can be considered as essential and unavoidable prerequisites for any new research in this field.Some of the most significant essays that were published in periodicals and reviews have now been collected in this volume. The book proposes a less romantic, but certainly more logical and credible image of Columbus and stresses his historical role.