1.4

Major difference between Erasmus and Petrarch

The printing press which allowed Erasmus to have a bigger outreach than Petrarch whose ideals only stuck with the Elites of Italy

Johannesburg Gutenberg

Creator of the printing press

Printing Press effect

Prior to this: Everything was copied by hand making it expensive and only available to elites and church and libraries and there was a limited amount of copies of those books

After Movable Type: Quick reproductions leading to greater accessibility due to the increased copy numbers causing an increase in literacy rates as demands for book increased

Gutenberg Bible

First work printed through this press which had a great amount of copies due to all the printers in Europe

Why was the printing press important to the renaissance?

Without the printing press, renaissance ideas in Italy would not have spread so quickly to the rest of Europe

• By 1550 all classical texts are in print and spreading rapidly

Effects of people having similar copies of books due to printing press

More able to discuss the ideas in the writing and increase of literacy (a cause and effect of spread of literature)

Increasing demand for Vernacular literature

An effect of the printing press in which people wanted books written in their own language rather than Latin and Greek

• This grew their and solidified their national culture aka got a better sense of who they were and how they were different from other groups