Essay on Renaissance and World

Submitted By alina_pechenova
Words: 7531
Pages: 31
Open Document
THE RENAISSANCE

[Excerpted from Philip Van Ness Myers, Mediæval and Modern History (Boston: Ginn and Company, 1905), pp. 251-274]

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance defined.-- By the term Renaissance (" New Birth"), used in its narrower sense, is meant that new enthusiasm for classical literature, learning, and art which sprang up in Italy towards the close of the Middle Ages, and which during the course of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries gave a new culture to Europe. [By many writers the term is employed in a still narrower sense than this, being used to designate merely the revival of classical art; but this is to depreciate the most important phase of a many-sided development. The Renaissance was essentially an intellectual movement. It is this intellectual quality which gives it so large a place in universal history]

Using the word in a somewhat broader sense, we may define the Renaissance as the reentrance into the world of that secular, inquiring, self-reliant spirit which characterized the life and culture of classical antiquity. This is simply to say that under the influence of the intellectual revival the men of Western Europe came to think and feel, to look upon life and the outer world, as did the men of ancient Greece and Rome; and this again is merely to say that they ceased to think and feel as mediaeval men and began to think and feel as modern men.

The Crusades in their Relation to the Renaissance.-- Many agencies conspired to bring in the Renaissance. Among these were the Crusades. These long-sustained enterprises . . . contributed essentially to break the mental lethargy that had fallen upon the European mind, and to awaken in the nations of Western Europe the spirit of a new life. Before the Crusades closed, the way of the Renaissance was already prepared. In every territory of human activity the paths along which advances were to be made by the men of coming generations had been marked out, and in many directions trodden by the eager feet of the pioneers of the new life and culture.

The Development of Vernacular Literatures as an Expression of the New Spirit.--The awakening of this new spirit in the Western nations is especially observable in the growth and development of their vernacular literatures. It was, speaking broadly, during and just after the crusading centuries that the native tongues of Europe found a voice,--began to form literatures of their own. . . . As soon as their forms became somewhat settled, then literature was possible, and all these speeches bud and blossom into song and romance. In Spain the epic poem of the Cid, a reflection of Castilian chivalry, forms the beginning of Spanish literature; in the south of France the Troubadours fill the land with the melody of their love songs; in the north the Trouveurs recite the stirring romances of Charlemagne and his paladins, of King Arthur and the Holy Grail; in Germany the harsh strains of the Nibelungenlied are followed by the softer notes of the Minnesingers; in Italy Dante sings his Divine Comedy in the pure mellifluous tongue of Tuscany, and creates a language for the Italian race; in England Chaucer writes his Canterbury Tales and completes the fusion of Saxon and Norman into the English tongue.

This growth of native literatures foreshadowed the approaching Renaissance; for there was in them a note of freedom, a note of protest against mediaeval asceticism and ecclesiastical restraint. And at the same time that this literary development heralded the coming intellectual revival it hastened its advance; for the light songs, tales, and romances of these vernacular literatures, unlike the learned productions of the Schoolmen, which were in Latin and addressed only to a limited class, appealed to the masses and thus stirred the universal mind and heart of Europe.

Town Life and Lay Culture.--The spirit of the new life was nourished especially by the air of the great cities. In speaking of
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Renaissance and World

Commerce In The Post-Renaissance World

24 July 2010 Essay Exam Commerce in the post-Renaissance World Commerce, throughout the post-renaissance era has become increasingly more important. In the seventeenth century, the idea of Technological Project (control of nature for human benefit) was introduced by Bacon and Descartes. This was very important because at the time, many people thought in terms of conformity to nature, not in terms of transforming nature for human benefit. Thinking in terms of conformity constrains individual…

Words 1010 - Pages 5

World Literature: Feudal And Bengal Renaissance Values

Gerardo Moreno Tia Black World Literature 2309 February 10, 2015 Feudal and Bengal Renaissance values Feudal values are a characteristic that most Indian people were raised on, were made to believe, and those values were made the norm for many years. The caste system was turning off people’s brains and sympathy towards other humans. It made the society one that could be ruled easier by the British because of their closed minds. Women had no voice or any kind of equality that would make them valuable…

Words 1423 - Pages 6

The Renaissance Essay

The Renaissance – Birth to the Modern World Was the Renaissance the birth to the modern world we live in today? In my opinion, yes it was. The modern world we live in today is a grown up version of what the world was like during the time of the renaissance. The Science, Technology, and Culture of the renaissance are taken to a deeper level in the Modern world as we see today. So yes, the renaissance is the beginning to the modern world we live in today with a moderate change in technology, science…

Words 540 - Pages 3

Protestant Reformation Age Of Exploration

Lexi Kohn Mr. Valiente Block 6 January 17, 2015 Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Exploration The spirit of Renaissance encouraged the Protestant Reformation and Age of Exploration to take place. During the Renaissance, Reformation, and Age of Exploration, humanists flourished throughout Europe. Each is connected in a way. Each time had an immense impact on what and how we are today. Each was a movement that was about to change the world. The Renaissance was a cultural movement that took place in a…

Words 896 - Pages 4

Renaissance Research Paper

The Renaissance Period is known for its transition between the Medieval Era to the modern world during the 14th to 17th century. Not only is it known for its transition of generations but as well as the renewal of art and literature as the word did originate from French with the meaning of “rebirth”. During that time period, people's focus were also more secular, they started to step out of religious explanations. Some adjustments that took place during the Renaissance were the growth of wealthy…

Words 433 - Pages 2

Florence Of The Middle Ages

Renaissance The Renaissance period was during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. This was a time in which the arts were brought to life. During this time the Italians were very intrigued with the human body, which can be seen in many of the art pieces such as the statue of David. The video showed many details of the of Florence of the middle ages and Florence of modern times. Petrarch was born in 1304. He is known as the first man of the Renaissance. He looked at the world which is filled with…

Words 464 - Pages 2

The Renaissance: Did You Mean 'Light Em Up' By Fall Out Boy?

The Renaissance? Did You Mean “Light ‘Em Up” by Fall Out Boy? The Renaissance was the burst of light following the dark ages. The dark ages were full of political instability, repressed ideas, and lack of learning for all classes. The renaissance brought the upper classes education, appreciation of the arts, the study of languages, a new view on religion, intellectual flourshipment and advancements in technology. There’s a reason the French called the renaissance a “rebirth”, and the reason is…

Words 824 - Pages 4

Changes Of The Renaissance Dbq Essay

Renaissance means rebirth. Europe can thank the rebirth of its education, science, and culture to the Renaissance era. The Renaissance era is often refered to as the “golden age” of Europe. It took place directly after the Medieval times, and lasted about three hundred years (1400-1700). During the Renaissance time period revolutionary advancements were made in art, science, and astronomy that changed the way man viewed man. During the Renaissance man's view of man was changed through…

Words 506 - Pages 3

Did The Renaissance Procure Change In Man's View Of Man

How did new ideas of the world in the Renaissance spread to create a whole other era of thinking and ideas? The Renaissance spread from Italy to western and northern Europe over a period of 300 years. During the Middle Ages many people had theories about the world that were very religiously and spiritually based, but the Renaissance was a time period where scientists started proving different theories with evidence that they had found. The Renaissance was a great time of art and literature that was…

Words 720 - Pages 3

Zora Neale Hurston: The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that occurred during the 1920s and 1930s, it was known at the “New Negro Movement” at that time. The New York City district of Harlem became the centre of a cultural movement that was distinctive in African-American history. Black artists created a great body of literacy work, paintings, sculptures, performing arts and music. The Harlem Renaissance without doubt transformed African-American culture. Around 1890, African-Americans migrated to the…

Words 550 - Pages 3