One Ruling Force

Renaissance Italy was a time of much change, social upheaval, and paradigm shifts. As a result of this, many prominent figures used their position and education as a means of asserting proper cultural ideals. Following this pattern, Alberti wrote Della Famiglia in the Tuscan vernacular discussing daily life issues such as wealth, marriage, and home life. In Book III of Della Famiglia, Alberti utilizes Giannozzo, a Florentine bourgeois, as a means of depicting early Renaissance social structures and societal ideas through the wisdom Giannozzo departs to Lionardo in dialogue regarding the proper treatment of wealth and business management, family, and the wife's role within the household. More specifically, Alberti demonstrates that money was the most prominent driving force during this time period by Giannozzo's prioritizing of monetary gain in both his public and private life. Whether referencing his household or his external relationships, Gianozzo emphasizes that financial gain and stability always remain at the root of his actions.

As he begins to detail the proper way to handle many matters in his public life, Giannozzo begins by describing why it is always better to help one's own kinsmen over any stranger. Giannozzo believes "there is more honor and value in helping your own family than outsiders" (Alberti 200). While he does briefly mention honor, Giannozzo continues by expanding on the idea that helping a kinsman is of more value because "he will admit his obligation and will retain a memory that makes him eager to help your own children in a similar way"(200). Giannozzo makes a point that charity is not for the sake of goodness; instead, it ought to be used as a means of ensuring future repayment for the purpose of financial gain within the family. This is a clear example of actions being dictated by money. As the dialogue proceeds, Giannozzo begins to educate Lionardo on decision-making with regards to expenses, which he categorizes as either necessary or unnecessary. Not only does Giannozzo not condone purchases for pleasure, enjoyment or enrichment in quality of life, he downright condemns them as disgraceful. He makes the distinction between necessary and unnecessary purchases by calling "those expenses necessary without which the family cannot be honorably maintained" (203). Again, Giannozzo claims honor as a motive. However, by his definition of these necessary expenses that "comprise the whole acquisition and maintenance of the house, the farm, and the shop," there is no room for excess expenditures such as "nurturing wicked and depraved persons." However, if honor were Giannozzo's motivation rather than financial security, actions such as helping less fortunate and broken people would not be considered "mad expenses" that are "to be shunned" at any expense (203). Such remarks reveal that money is the dominant factor in determining what Giannozzo believes to be correct, and this is also seen as he talks about time management. Emphasizing, "if a man knows how to keep from wasting time, he knows almost everything," Giannozzo displays his extreme pragmatism with regards to time management that clearly comes from the importance he places on productivity, a value that can be traced back to the ultimate driving factor, money (205). Clearly, the manner in which Giannozzo carries himself in his public affairs elucidates what is of most value in his life. Giannozzo continues to reveal the import of money as he discusses his private life and the appropriate management of the house and the family.

Because he spends so much time detailing the treatment of his wife, Giannozzo shows that this is a vastly important topic in his lessons to Lionardo. However, this is due less to the fact that the wife might have a loving and familial role in his life and more to the fact that she plays a highly necessary role in Giannozzo's complex system that allows for the utmost productivity and conservation of financial gains. Giannozzo also makes a point of criticizing idle wives and tells his wife she should "take up the pleasant task of inspecting the house from top to bottom more than once a day" to ensure "things are in their places, and see how everyone is working" (222). These strict instructions continue as Giannozzo remarks, "If some object is of no use to the household,