21st: Unit 13.2

The Renaissance period (1300–1600) was marked by the rebirth of the Greco-Roman literary tradition. Classical scholars, known as humanists, revived and translated ancient texts. The humanists also used the Greek and Latin classics, along with traditional Christian thought, to teach people about human life. Humanism, a philosophical movement that placed a renewed focus on the human and his or her potential, was prevalent among the intellectuals. The privileged people started touring other countries with the intention of bringing back culture and ideologies from other parts of the world. Each country experienced its own kind of renaissance, a renewed passion toward life and creative expression. The social divide caused by the feudal mode of living came to an unforeseen halt during this time and made the middle class hopeful of what they could make of themselves. It was the time of optimism, for they believed that life was improving for the first time. During the English Renaissance, one of the greatest struggles of artists and writers was the need to earn and sustain themselves through their craft. Talented and creative individuals sustained themselves through the system of patronage. Patrons were people who lavished money and attention on artists who cater to their taste. One example of this is William Shakespeare, who had Queen Elizabeth and King James I as his patrons, as well as William Herbert, the Third Earl of Pembroke, among others. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440, is the greatest innovation of the Renaissance era, which resulted in a more cost- and time-efficient production of literature. This led to a higher percentage of literacy among the masses. This innovation highly affected people’s attitude toward reading. Communal, individual, and silent reading became prominent among people. Gradually, the oral tradition faded.

The Age of Enlightenment (1600–1800) The Age of Enlightenment (1600–1800) was a byproduct of the Renaissance that birthed humanism. Thinking that they could be whatever they wanted to be, people paved the way toward scientific and industrial progress. This period could be summed up as the celebration of different ideas. This made the cafés serve as the unofficial center of this new movement, a place where people would read whatever literature available and debate about their needs and desires as a community or a population. The Enlightenment was also the birthplace of many great thinkers who put their ideas into writing and made their thoughts available to historians of this century. The rationalism and efforts toward social reform, freedom, and progress died down as fast as it emerged. Upheavals such as the French Revolution were results of the people’s idea that collectively the public can create change. It was the bloodshed in the French Revolution along with other upheavals that made people reevaluate their ideas, and which eventually led to the end of the Enlightenment period.

Literature during the Renaissance and Enlightenment Period The following are examples of Renaissance and Enlightenment literature: a. Much Ado about Nothing

This was considered as one of Shakespeare’s best comedies and was probably written between 1598 and 1599. It was first printed as a quarto or a booklet in 1600 and reprinted in 1623 as a part of Shakespeare’s first folio. This play infused humor in serious topics like honor, shame, and court politics.
Below is an excerpt from the play Much Ado about Nothing:

b. Paradise Lost

This is an epic poem about the Fall of Man, where John Milton, the writer, made Adam, Eve, Satan, and God his characters. It started with Satan’s realizing that he was in hell, which prompted him to make a plan to spite God through Adam and Eve. The story went on as it was in the Bible. Satan tricked Eve into eating the fruit, and Adam also took a bite. They got banished from Paradise and had to endure suffering such as labor pains, sickness, and death.
What made this epic different from the version in the Bible is that it discussed more about the motives behind the events that occurred in the Bible. Milton introduced predestination, a belief that going to heaven is not achieved through good works or other things, but rather, it is decided before you were born. God’s foreknowledge was also put into play. Despite knowing everything in this world, he still decided to place the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Paradise although he was aware that Adam and Eve would disobey him.
This epic stood out among its predecessors because of the fact that it was not about martial heroism. In this epic, there was no mortal hero to save a kingdom or win in a war. For Milton, it was all about spiritual heroism or Christian heroism. Paradise Lost was characterized as an epic poem about patience because if only Adam and Eve were patient enough, they would not have been thrown out of paradise. It might not be as exciting as battles, but for the Christian world, it is a turning point of their history. The bigger effect is that aside from sin, death also entered the world.

c. Gulliver’s Travels

In this novel by Jonathan Swift, Gulliver traveled on four separate voyages and encountered different types of societies each time. Each journey is a metaphor for different aspects of British society that the author wanted to criticize.
Below is an excerpt from the novel: