Renaissance Humanism

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error
  • The Literary Encyclopedia. WORLD HISTORY AND IDEAS: A CROSS-CULTURAL VOLUME.

Renaissance humanism was a cultural movement and educational program which characterized European society from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, a period that witnessed the “rebirth” of society in the city-states of Italy and signified the end of the “dark ages” in Europe. While the origins of humanism lay in fourteenth-century Italy, its influence was spread by itinerant scholars throughout the whole of fifteenth century Europe.

Studia humanitatis (i.e “human studies”) involved the study of grammar, poetics, rhetoric, history, and moral philosophy, with an emphasis on formal training in oratory, scientia recte loquendi, and textual exegesis, poetarum enaratio. The teacher, professor, or student who was part of this movement and educational program was often referred

3399 words

Citation: Sturgeon, Elizabeth M.. "Renaissance Humanism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 August 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=13864, accessed 26 November 2024.]

13864 Renaissance Humanism 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.