Erica Benner, Fellow in Ethics and Political Philosophy, Yale University

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.

"Every student of Machiavelli will benefit from reading this book." - Choice

"Benner's book provides a great service to Machiavelli scholars . . . Because of her close reading and erudition, Benner points out much that is questionable in The Prince that could otherwise be missed (and which many scholars have missed). This is no small achievement. Benner's greatest interpretive innovation, however, does not stem from this close reading alone, but from having identified certain normatively laden code words that color Machiavelli's . . . seemingly neutral depiction of events and counsel." - Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"The depth in which [Benner] pursues her interpretation . . . sets this book apart from previous studies . . . Benner's familiarity with the work of Tacitus, Livy and Plutarch enables her to identify dissonances that may have been more evident to Machiavelli and his classically educated contemporaries than they are to modern readers. Benner's book convincingly demonstrates the multi-layered complexity of Machiavelli's text, which she argues should be approached as a profoundly ambiguous piece of writing." - Renaissance Studies

"A welcome arrival, [this book] is a carefully considered examination that sheds much light on Machiavellis text and rhetoric . . . Benners excavation of Machiavellis subtle critique of empire and account of Cesare Borgias failures are particularly strong." - Perspectives on Politics