This 1965 volume was the first comprehensive study in English of the life and work of Torquato Tasso. Born in 1544, the son of a famous poet, Tasso was himself one of the greatest Italian poets. Dr Brand here reassesses his writings to illustrate the essential qualities of his poetry, and estimates his contribution to English literature on which, and in particular on Spenser and Milton, his influence was profound. Tasso is a complex and difficult writer. He was a weak man, who was easily affected by external pressures, and his greatness lay almost entirely in his writings. Dr Brand suggest how we should reconcile his poetic genius with his weakness and shows how much these external pressures - his imprisonment, the Inquisition, his critics - affected him. Students of Italian literature will welcome this book, and students of English literature will also find it an important contribution to their study.