I am Divya jadav a student of English Department at MKBU. This blog is part of Assignment writing for paper 105: History of English literature from 1350 to 1900
Rennaissance Humanism
👉Table of contents:-
Personal Information
Assignment Details
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
What is Renaissance Humanism
Origin of Renaissance Humanism
Humanism and Art
Humanism in Science
The legacy of Rennaissance Humanism
The "Virtuvian Triad"and the "Virtuvian man"
The end of Renaissance Humanism Conclusion
References
👉Personal Information:-
Name:- Divya Bharatbhai Jadav
Batch :- M.A.sem 1 ( 2023- 2025)
Email Address:- divyajadav5563@gmail. com
Roll number:- 8
👉Assignment Details:-
Topic:- Renaissance Humanism
Paper:- History of English literature from (1350 to 1900)
Subject code:- 22396
Submitted to:- smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
Date of Submission:- 1 December 2023
About Assignment:- In this assignment I will try to define the exploration of Renaissance Humanism.
👉Abstract:-
Humanism was a term invented in the 19th century to describe the Renaissance idea that directly studying the works of antiquity was
an important part of a rounded education. From this position came the idea that the study of humanity should be a priority as opposed to religious matter. Important classical ideals which interested humanists included the importance of public and private virtue, Latin grammar, techniques of rhetoric, history, conventions in literature and poetry, and moral philosophy.
👉Keywords:-
Renaissance Humanism, Origin of
Renaissance Humanism, Elements of Renaissance Humanism, Father of Renaissance Humanism, Humanism and Art
👉Introduction:-
In modern times, the term 'humanism' has gained a different meaning and so to
safeguard its original purpose, when applied to 1400-1600, it is often classified as 'Renaissance Humanism'. It is important to remember, though, that Renaissance thinkers did not themselves use the term humanism, and neither did they agree on all subjects.
👉What is Renaissance Humanism:-
Renaissance Humanism was an intellectual movement typified by a revived interest in the classical world and studies which focussed not on religion but on what it is to be human. Its origins went back to 14th-century Italy and such authors as Petrarch (1304-1374) who searched out 'lost' ancient manuscripts. By the 15th century, humanism had spread across Europe.
Humanists believed in the importance of an education in classical literature and the promotion of civic virtue, that is, realising a person's full potential both for their own good and for the good of the society in which they live. The difficulty in defining humanism and its ever-evolving character have not prevented it being widely regarded as the defining feature of 1400 to 1600 Europe and the very reason why that period can be identified as a Renaissance or 'rebirth' of ideas.
👉Origin of Renaissance Humanism:-
The humanist movement can be traced back to a trio of Italian authors who lived before the Renaissance period had even begun: Dante Alighieri. Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio . All three would receive new interest in their work during the Renaissance when they were recognised as its founding fathers.
Dante was the first, and his Divine Comedy, although a book with a central message on how to reach salvation, was a subtle shift from entirely religious-focussed works to those considering humanity's role in God's universe. The Divine Comedy had many overtly classical elements, from the Roman poet Virgil acting as a guide to the many ancient historical figures mentioned.
Next came Petrarch, who was an equally religious man but in his work criticised some elements of the Catholic Church such as its corruption and excessive love of show. Petrarch rejected scholasticism which grimly held on to Church dogma and created endless rounds of fruitless debate amongst scholars. He made perhaps his greatest contribution to the study of antiquity by finding manuscripts which had become 'lost' in obscure monastic libraries. Amongst his famous discoveries were several works and letters by Cicero.
👉 The Father of Humanism:-
Petrarch was known as the “Father of Humanism” because of his contribution to this new way of perceiving man in relation to God. Although he was a Catholic and religious man, he also believed in man’s inherent abilities and greatness. He believed that God gave humans these abilities to live a virtuous life. This may have gone against what the church believed of man, who was said to be in need of God’s mercy.
There were other scholars who contributed to the Renaissance humanist ideals and were seen as the “forefathers” of this movement along with Petrarch. These include the writers Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio. However, Voigt also believed that Dante was not quite a matching counterpart to Petrarch in terms of Humanism because he came from the earlier Medieval period.
Boccaccio was another famous literary catalyst, and friend of Petrarch, within the humanist movement. He wrote various short stories titled, The Decameron , which many people related to because it pertained to relevant everyday experiences.
Another important figure in the humanist movement was the Dutchman Desiderius Erasmus. With the help of the newly innovated printing press, which allowed for the spread of ideas from Italy to other parts of Europe, Erasmus was able to disseminate more copies of Greek and Latin texts, especially of the New Testament.
👉Humanism and Art:
They were, too, collectorncient art such as sculpture, sarcophagi, relief panels, and coins. Both men also became great patrons of the arts, encouraging humanist artists. This was a pattern imitated by rulers across Europe.
Renaissance painters and sculptors became very interested in classical mythology, sometimes even combining it with Christian themes such as subtly representing Venus as the Virgin Mary. Ancient thinkers were directly represented in art, perhaps most famously in the School of Athens fresco in the Vatican by Raphael .
👉Humanism in Science :-
Observing, analysing, and categorising the world around us was an important part of humanist thought, just as it had been in antiquity. For this reason, science made great leaps forward during the Renaissance, powered at first by developments in mathematics. The Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) proposed that the solar system was heliocentric, amongst other innovative ideas, in his On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, published in 1543. Copernicus was a classic Renaissance scholar as he studied the works of antiquity, observed what he could in the world personally, collated all that had been studied thus far in his field, and then came up with a new view of the subject at hand. Perhaps the greatest contribution humanism made to science was its thirst for answers and the confidence that they could be found through human endeavour.
👉The Legacy of Renaissance Humanism:
Humanism transformed education and rejuvenated the world of ideas and art with its discovery, promotion, and adaptation of classical works. It led to the creation of an international network of scholars linked by letters and books, the separation of church and politics, the critical examination of texts leading to the discovery of inaccuracies and even forgeries, and the creation of public libraries.
Perhaps inevitably, though, humanist scholars and thinkers began to divide into groups as they specialised into different areas of what was already a hopelessly broad area of human endeavour. There were realists against moralists, those who wanted to forget all about religion and those who did not, and those who were republicans and those who were royalists. There were humanists who thought the study of language an end itself while others thought it only a means to understand ideas.
Artists during the Renaissance drew from fundamental humanistic principles, which shaped and informed their art. Many of these principles were based around the ideas of beauty, proportions, order, and rationality.
👉The“VitruvianTriad” and the “Vitruvian Man”:-
The Roman architect, writer, and engineer, Marcus Vitruvius Pollio was active during the 1st Century BC. He was widely studied by Renaissance scholars and artists. His ideas contributed to how artists would design buildings and draw and paint the human form.
Vitruvius influenced several Renaissance artists, including the famous Leonardo da Vinci who painted the Vitruvian Man.This painting depicts two poses of a nude male figure standing with outstretched arms and legs that touch the edges of a circle and square around him.
👉The end of Renaissance Humanism:-
By the mid-16th century, Humanism had lost much of its power. Europe was engaged in a war of words, ideas, and sometimes weapons over the nature of Christianity and Humanist culture was overtaken by rival creeds, becoming semi-independent disciplines governed by the area’s faith.
👉Conclusion:-
Despite the breaking up of the humanist movement into its component parts, the essential idea that humans were worthy of huh study is one that has never gone away, of course. If anything, this idea has only widened and deepened. The subjects that were considered important to study in classical sources such as philosophy, history, and literature came to be collectively known as the humanities, and today, of course, they form major faculties in colleges and universities worldwide.
👉References:-MarkCartwright.”WorldHistoryEncyclopediAS,www.worldhistory.org
Wilde, Robert. “A Guide to the Intellectual Movement Known as Renaissance Humanism.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 7 Feb. 2020,www.thoughtco.com/renaissance-humanism-p2-1221781.
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