Machiavelli up close:

The Prince

A four-week Seminar Series with Lisa Kaborycha.

What happens when a surname becomes an adjective? If that name is Machiavelli, it means “cunning and deceitful” according to the OED. The year 2027 will mark five centuries since the death of this fascinating Florentine.

Whereas terms such as Marxian and Freudian refer to specific concepts grounded in historical realities, in common usage “Machiavellian” usually stands for timeless, calculated evil. Despite the many other works authored by Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), his diabolical reputation rests entirely on one: The Prince.

Featuring snappy soundbites such as “it’s better to be feared than loved” and brimming with praise for murderous tyrants, this short book—less than 80 pages in a Penguin paperback—is nearly always misunderstood.

If you’re curious about this controversial work and long to delve into the mind of one of the most original thinkers of all time, join Lisa Kaborycha for a guided reading of Machiavelli’s The Prince.

Recommended reading:

Lisa Kaborycha, A Short History of Renaissance Italy, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2023.

Lisa Kaborycha, Voices from the Italian Renaissance: A Sourcebook. Routledge, 2024.