This book examines the Accademia degli Arcadi in its heyday, a little known phenomenon in Italian history in the first part of the eighteenth century. The Roman academy aimed for a peninsula-wide cultural renewal induced by literary reform. Operating within a papal court society, it eschewed extant patronage systems and social hierarchies and introduced enlightened ideas to its members. By attending to the institution's policies, <i>Between the Real and the Ideal</i> provides a rich understanding of the Arcadi's goals.