European and English Renaissance

 This post caters to the study of the Complementary Course “Evolution of Literary Movements”, assigned for students of BA English programme at CMS College.

EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE

Started by the 14^th century in Europe.

Impact upon Europe in

Language         Education         Art & Literature

Architecture    Science             Geography   Religion

Italy and Renaissance

Fall of Constantinople (1453: Turks)– scholars move to Italy – brings with them the knowledge of the East (esp. Greek & Latin) [this is after centuries of suppression by the Christian religion]

• Bible studied in original Greek and Hebrew
• Interest developed towards ancient Greek writings
• Insight on Greek attitude to knowledge: knowledge is the enquiry…p 139
• Scientific Temper
• Changed attitude to life

 

Florence & Renaissance

Florence: a wealthy city in Italy. Medici family.

Native place of many Popes who were patrons of Renaissance.

Popes established large libraries

The Medici family fostered art and knowledge

Impact of Renaissance                   

• Rediscovery of classical languages & Spread of Knowledge: (development of Printing)

• Art/ Architecture: broke away from Medieval patterns; looked to nature for guidance

               Leonardo da Vinci 

Leonardo da Vinci 

 Michael Angelo     

Fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican (Michael Angelo)

Raphael          

Titian              

Botticelli

Architecture: St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

•                   Science: Spirit of enquiry (da Vinci)

Nicolaus Copurnicus

•                   Exploration and Discovery (challenge to beliefs held by church): Solar System (Copernicus/ ratified by Galileo); 

Maritime adventures – Spain, Portugal & other European powers. Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan (circumnavigating the globe)

•                   Religion: Protestantanism

(Also refer to the points from Harris/ Sudhakaran: The Shapers of Destiny, pp141-2)

ENGLISH RENAISSANCE

(Source: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-britlit1/chapter/english-renaissance/ )

The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the late 15th to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century. Like most of northern Europe, England saw little of these developments until more than a century later. The beginning of the English Renaissance is often taken, as a convenience, to be 1485, when the Battle of Bosworth Field ended the Wars of the Roses and inaugurated the Tudor Dynasty. Renaissance style and ideas, however, were slow to penetrate England, and the Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance.

 

The English Renaissance is different from the Italian Renaissance in several ways. The dominant art forms of the English Renaissance were literature and music. Visual arts in the English Renaissance were much less significant than in the Italian Renaissance. The English period began far later than the Italian, which is usually considered to begin in the late 14th century, and was moving into Mannerism and the Baroque by the 1550s or earlier. In contrast, the English Renaissance can only be said to begin, shakily, in the 1520s, and continued until perhaps 1620.