Renaissance literature refers to
European literature which was influenced by the intellectual and cultural tendencies associated with the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
. The literature of the Renaissance was written within the general movement of the Renaissance, which arose in 14th-century Italy and continued until the 16th century while being diffused into the rest of the western world. It is characterized by the adoption of a
humanist philosophy and the recovery of the classical Antiquity. It benefited from the spread of printing in the latter part of the 15th century.
Overview
For the writers of the Renaissance,
Greco-Roman inspiration was shown both in the themes of their writing and in the literary forms they used. The world was considered from an
anthropocentric perspective. Platonic ideas were revived and put to the service of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
. The search for pleasures of the senses and a critical and rational spirit completed the ideological panorama of the period. New literary genres such as the essay (
Montaigne) and new metrical forms such as the
Spenserian stanza made their appearance.
The impact of the Renaissance varied across the continent; countries that were predominantly
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
or
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
experienced the Renaissance differently. Areas where the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...
was culturally dominant, as well as those areas of Europe under
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...
rule, were more or less outside its influence. The period focused on self-actualization and one's ability to accept what is going on in one's life.
The earliest Renaissance literature appeared in Italy in the 14th century;
Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists.
Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...
,
Machiavelli, and
Ariosto are notable examples of Italian Renaissance writers. From Italy, the influence of the Renaissance spread at different times to other countries and continued to spread around
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
through the 17th century. The
English Renaissance and the
Renaissance_in_Scotland_date_from_the_late_15th_century_to_the_early_17th_century._In_northern_Europe,_the_scholarly_writings_of_Erasmus,_the_plays_of_William_Shakespeare,_the_poems_of_Edmund_Spenser,_and_the_writings_of_Sir_Philip_Sidney_may_be_considered_Renaissance_in_character.
The_development_of_the_Printing_Press.html" "title="Erasmus.html" ;"title="Renaissance in Scotland date from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. In northern Europe, the scholarly writings of Erasmus">Renaissance in Scotland date from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. In northern Europe, the scholarly writings of Erasmus, the plays of William Shakespeare, the poems of Edmund Spenser, and the writings of Sir Philip Sidney may be considered Renaissance in character.
The development of the Printing Press">printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
(using movable type) by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1440s encouraged authors to write in their local vernacular instead of Greek language, Greek or Latin language, Latin classical languages, thus widening the reading audience and promoting the spread of Renaissance ideas.