Renaissance - Block 2 Unit 8

  IGNOU MEG-1 Block 2 Unit 8:

Renaissance :

• Social, political, religious and cultural forces. Classical literature plus arts

• First evidences in Italy in 14th century following the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1493

• Began to be felt in England only about the end of 15th century

•  New humanist learning and ideology majorly in upper class

• But for a long time it remained without impact on the literature and art of England. This was primarily because the English language was as yet immature, socially and politically without power. 

• First full impact of the renaissance in English literature came with the translation of Latin and Italian verse into English by poets like Wyatt and Surrey,

• Invention of Printing press played  a major role in emergence of renaissance

• Because of the distance from Italy , the renaissance in England was never as profoundly an elitist phenomenon

• Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament was, however, not very accessible and his followers

• Not to be confused with reformation [refers to the various and often bloody and violent movements against the Roman Catholic church, that spread over Continental Europe through the foul-teenth and fifteenth centuries, demanding large scale reforms in its beliefs and e,cclesiastical practices. le. It was led by figures like Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-64) but was preceded by reformers like St. Francis, Peter Waldo, John Huss, and John Wycliffe]

• England had had primarily an agrarian and feudal socio-economic structure, but plague, population growth. shortage of labor proved a blessing to many peasants, who managed to sell their labor at a premium, and eventually to rise above their class and form a new class of landed folk called 'yeomen' or small farmers, Many large landholders converted their land into sheep pasture because of the lack of labor, leading to land enclosures and the abandonment of many villages. This in turn led to the dramatic development of the wool industry.

• Artisan, Crafts people, spread of literacy, social and economic uplift. Sheep rearing, cloth industry

• This was the time  England was growing as a naval and commercial power, and its merchant and trading ships had traveled all over the world.

Courtier poets, Court Politics :

Most of the well -known poetry of the period was written by courtiers, or by highly educated gentlemen, and was rarely published. Poetry was written more for a small circle of friends and others of similar raak, addressed to a nobleman usually, 12 following the practice of patronage by the nobility

Most of these poets were unwilling to offer their own work and themselves as worthy of acknowledgement in these terms. They instead invariably offered apologies for their work, blanling it on the passions of love or a lack of suitable employment, often promising never to repeat their 'pretensions' to poetry again.

conceptions of poetry so much as against their actual poetic work, which they felt was likely to be mocked, and in turn, they themselves as poets. m poetry was merely an indulgence, about which they remained largely defensive. potentially threatening to their social status.

This may be made clearer through the following lines from Sidney's Sonnet 34, addressed to his beloved 'Stella': 

What idler thing than speak and not be heard? 

What harder thing than smart and not to speak'? 

Peace, foolish wit! With wit illy wit is mair'd. 

Thus writc I, while I doubt to write, and wrack 

My harm in ink's poor. loss.. . . 

Great artist of Renaissance :

 

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452-5019) 

• Michelangelo (1475-1564)

• Rafael (1483-1520)

• Titian (1488-1576)

• Donatello (1386-1466)

 

 

Political thinkers of Renaissance:

 

• Niccolo Michiavelli (1469-1527)

• Thomas Moore (1478-1535)

 

 

Scientist of Renaissance:

 

• Nicholas Copreneurs (1473-1543)

• Paris tailors (1493-1541)

• Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

• Galileo (1564-1642)

• Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)

 

 

Theology and philosophy:

 

• Martin Luther King (1483-1546)

• Erasmus (1466-1536) [Prince of Humanism]

 

 

Impact of Renaissance on: 

 

1. Humanism 

2. Secularism 

3. Printing  press 

4. Artistic 

5. Economic

6. Printing press 

7. Religious

 

You can check out my YouTube videos on the same topic where I have explained everything in Hindi in detail. Links are below-

Block-2 Undertaking A Study of Spenser

Renaissance

Edmund Spenser
Sonnet 34
Sonnet 67
Sonnet 77
Sonnet 34,67,77
Epithalamion & Prothalamion
Epithalamion 1/2
Epithalamion 2/2
Prothalamion

More related and helpful links in the description box of my YouTube channel.

 

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