European Renaissance

1
European Renaissance
2
Renaissance

• Literally means rebirth but encompasses more
  artistic creativity, extraordinary zest for
  life, opulence magnificence, individual
  achievement and restoration of classical
  scholarship (humanism)
• Time period overlapped with Middle Ages,
  beginning with Petrarch in 14th century and
  ending around the 17th century with the
  restoration of the monarchy and the new Age of
  Reason

3
Renaissance

• A period of widespread change in scientific
  discoveries, geographic discoveries, and
  scholarly methods.
• Also a time of religious power, with the
  Inquisition contradicting scientific discovery
• So much change led to some philosophical
  uncertainty
• Strong desire to renew ancient Greek and Roman
  culture educated people spoke and wrote Latin

4
Renaissance

• Despite prominence of religion and religious
  controversy, people were preoccupied with
  temporal, earthly interests more than with the
  afterlife, which contrasts with the culture of
  the Middle Ages
• Code of behavior involved emphasis on virtue,
  fame, and glory, with virtue defined more as
  the attempt to live life utilizing ones skill
  and talent to the best of ones ability.
• Church and State bound together, with papacy
  exercising military and spiritual power

5
Renaissance

• Henry VIII broke from Catholic church in England
  and declared himself head of Church of England
  (so he could divorce his wife and marry his
  mistress!)
• People began to question purpose and meaning of
  life (existentialism)
• The joining of philosophical and imaginative
  thinking in literary expression is characteristic
  of the Renaissance, which cultivated the idea of
  serious play.

6
Francis Petrarch

• 1304-1374 (Italian)
• Lived during Middle Ages, but his work fits in
  the Renaissance ideology
• dedicated himself to the recovery of classical
  learning
• Famous instead for 366 lyric poems in the
  vernacular, created a new sonnet
• Trained in law for 10 years but chose classical
  studies and became a diplomat-scholar for popes
  and princes.

7
Petrarch

• Petrarchan or Italian sonnet form octave and
  sestet with a turn (volta) usually after the
  octave and rhyme scheme either abba abba cd cd cd
  or abba abba cde cde or some similar variation