A Study Guide for "Renaissance Literature"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for "Renaissance Literature," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Literary Movements for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Literary Movements for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Sep 20, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535831956

Book preview

09

Renaissance Literature

c. 1450

Movement Origin

It could be argued that no other literary period in history is as rich—or paradoxical—as the Renaissance. Many historians locate the Renaissance from the mid-fifteenth until the early seventeenth century. There are, however, a few writers from other time periods whom historians and critics commonly associate with the Renaissance. The European Renaissance produced some of history's greatest writers and works of literature, yet many historians and critics disagree about when it actually took place. Contemporary Renaissance fairs and many movies set in Renaissance times are often set in England. In reality, however, the Renaissance started in Italy, then spread slowly east to other European countries, most notably France, Spain, and finally, England.

The Renaissance (from the French word for rebirth) refers to the emergence and new interest in classical Greek and Roman texts and culture that took place between the Middle Ages and the modern period. With the advent of the printing press in 1440, the development of vernacular languages, and the weakening influence of the Catholic Church on daily life, among other historic events, Renaissance writers and scholars had new avenues for expressing their views. Many Renaissance works survive into the twenty-first century as some of the most celebrated in history. Early writers such as Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More staged direct attacks on the Church and society with works such as Erasmus's The Praise of Folly and More's Utopia. These writers helped open doors for later ones, including William Shakespeare, who some critics consider the greatest dramatist and poet of all time.

Representative Authors

Elizabeth Carey (1585–1639)

Elizabeth Carey (sometimes spelled as Cary) was born in Oxford, England, in 1585. She was a voracious reader from a young age and had an aptitude for languages. She married Sir Henry Carey in 1602 when she was only seventeen years old, but her husband was soon gone to fight in the war with Spain. In 1603, she moved in with her husband's family despite his absence. Her mother-in-law forbade her to read, so Carey wrote instead. The Tragedy of Mariam was completed soon thereafter, by 1609 at the latest. Carey also became interested in Catholicism during this time, a dangerous pursuit in post-Reformation England. She and her husband had eleven children together, and, in 1622, Henry moved them all to Ireland where he had been appointed lord deputy of