[Petrarca and the plague]

The author presents a synopsis of Petrarch's reflections and experiences during the plague of 1348 and the following alterations in Italian society. The great humanist and celebrated poet was an excellent observer of the reactions of his contemporaries and the various cultural and moral consequences of the "Black Death" catastrophe. He feels deep desperation but emphasizes stoic acceptance of fate and Christian humility. His letters concerning plague and death are impressive documents of the "interior life" of European intellectuals in midfourteenth century. They reveal the helplessness of scholastic medical doctors and the crisis of contemporary medicine.