For English Literature sttudenst

1. RENAISSANCE
“REBIRTH”

2. A PERIOD IN EUROPEAN HISTORY
• After middle ages
• Begun in Italy in the late fourteenth century
• Continued in other countries of western Eurpoe, through the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries.
• The period known for eminence in painting, sculpture, architecture
and literature.

3. FEATURES OF THE AGE
• Birth of the modern world
• Numerous discoveries
Emergence of renaissance scholars of the classics called humanists
who revived Greek language and tired to recover the works of Roman
authors known during the Middle Ages

4. ADVANCEMENTS
• The Invention of printing on paper made books cheap, plentiful and
countless publications available for the expanding learned population
of Europe.
• In england., the first printing press was set up by William Caxton in
1476.

5. THE REFORMATION
• Led by Martin Luther (1483-1546)
• Opposed Roman Ccatholic Church
• Faith based on the word of the Bible
• No need of intermediation by Church, priest or sacrament for
salvation.

6. THE NEW COSMOS
• The cosmos of Ptolemy was replaced by that of Copernicus.
• According to Pltolemy, earth is stationary and the moon, stars and
other planets revolves around earth. Heaven was believed to be
above the spheres and Hell to be situated either at the center of the
earth or else below the system of spheres.
• The Copernican theory proposed a system in which the center is the
sun, and earth is only one planet among many planets which revove
around the sun.

7. NEW SCIENCE
• The universe consisted of particles of matter which moved in space
according to fixed mathematical laws, free from interference by
angels, demons, human prayer, or magical prayers.

8. REFERENCE
• Abrams, M.H. “Renaissance”, A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed.,
Thomson, 2007.