Why did Machiavelli write the Prince - and why did religious and political authorities find it so threatening? Five hundred years on, this book tries to answer these questions.
In the first detailed, chapter-by-chapter reading of the Prince in any language, Erica Benner shows that the book is a masterpiece of ironic writing. Machiavelli's style is deliberately ambiguous: he often seems to say one thing, but gives readers clues that point toward a very different message. Beyond its 'Machiavellian' surface, the Prince has a surprisingly moral purpose. It teaches readers how to recognize hidden dangers in political conduct that merely appears great or praiseworthy - and to mistrust promises of easy solutions to political problems.
This highly engaging new interpretation helps readers to see beyond the Prince's deceptive first appearances. Benner sets out Machiavelli's main ironic techniques at the outset, especially his coded use of words to signal praise or blame. Once readers become familiar with these codes, they will find it easier to grasp the Prince's surreptitiously pro-republican message - and its powerful critique of charismatic one-man rule and imperial politics.
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Erica Benner is Fellow in Ethics and Political philosophy at Yale University. She previously taught at Oxford University and the London School of Economics. She is the author of Really Existing Nationalisms (OUP 1995), Machiavelli's Ethics (PUP 2009), and many publications in the ethics of nationalism and self-determination.
"In this powerful and provocative re-reading, Erica Benner, the author of Machiavelli's Ethics, boldly challenges conventional wisdom concerning Machiavelli's purposes in The Prince by revealing his artful and subtle use, informed by ancient philosophical techniques, of irony and dissimulation to make the text mean other than what it seems to say. Benner's stimulating reinterpretation is a 'must read' that will compel you to rethink everything you thought you knew about The Prince." --John Najemy, Professor of History, Cornell University
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