How did Pietro Bembo’s Prose della volgar lingua influence literary Italian?

Pietro Bembo’s Prose della volgar lingua (1525) was instrumental in standardizing the Italian literary language during the Renaissance. By codifying Italian orthography and grammar, Bembo provided a necessary framework for a unified written tongue.12

His primary influence stemmed from his recommendation that 14th-century Tuscan serve as the definitive model for literary Italian. Specifically, he championed the works of Petrarch and Boccaccio as the gold standard for style and decorum, while notably excluding Dante Alighieri due to his perceived stylistic unevenness.12

Bembo’s theories faced significant opposition from those who advocated for the use of contemporary language or Latin, such as Gian Giorgio Trissino. However, Bembo’s model ultimately triumphed by the end of the 16th century, a success solidified by the Accademia della Crusca and the subsequent publication of their dictionary in 1612.12