 After the publication of "Rinaldo" he had expressed his views upon the epic in some "Discourses on the Art of Poetry", which committed him to a distinct theory and gained for him the additional celebrity of a philosophical critic.The next five years seem to have been the happiest of Tasso's life, although his father's death in 1569 caused his affectionate nature profound pain.Young, handsome, accomplished in all the exercises of a well-bred gentleman, accustomed to the society of the great and learned, illustrious by his published works in verse and prose, he became the idol of the most brilliant court in Italy.