Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Ministry of Popular Power for Education

Popular Technical School 'Don Bosco'
Training Area: Spanish and Literature
4th Year Graphic Technology
Teacher: Carlos Villero

Renaissance literature

María Maria Reyes, Camila Pérez

Marialejandra Rodríguez
Carlos Villero
Introduction

The present work was carried out with the purpose of informing the public about the

history, context, and events that occurred at the birth of the

literature of this era.

In which concepts such as can be found:

What is understood by Renaissance literature?, historical context,

characteristics, themes used in this type of literature, genres, representatives
and the most relevant works.

The objectives to be achieved with this work involve the management of the
concepts about Renaissance literature, and can reach many
people, so that one can learn more about the topic, about cultural burden and
historical significance that it carries.

And that one can learn more about the origin of many literary classics, thus
as well as the context in which they are set and in which period they are
they carry out.

The information was previously collected and drafted based on the idea.
Main topics, the research was conducted in various sources in a manner
that it would be as complete as possible, it was done in such a way that the reader could

read more easily and transmit the information in the best way
right.
What is understood by Renaissance literature?

Renaissance literature is among the most important, central and

transcendent figures of Western history, many authors from that era today are
representatives of this era, as well as their classical representatives. Their way of

Its spread at that time was thanks to the invention of the printing press in 1450.

He was born in Italy during the Renaissance, between the 15th and 16th centuries. He was

a contribution to intellectual development that aimed to popularize the renewal of the

culture, with the concept of humanism and the inventions that influenced the
era, as well as the printing press.

Renaissance literature witnessed the emergence of new genres.

literary forms, such as the essay and the novel. Likewise, as new models of
poetic meter, like the sonnet, with predominance of the endecasílabo.

With renaissance it can be said that the word comes from French,
Renaissance, which is composed of the Latin prefix re meaning
"reiteration" and the verb nasci which means "to be born", so it can be said that
means to be reborn.

This period was characterized by the rediscovery of Greco-

Roman that served as the basis for literature and other artistic fields of the time.

It was a period of transition between the Middle Ages, in which there were almost no...

innovations, nor were the arts cultivated, and the modern age.
Historical context:

The literary renaissance originated during a time of great tension.

social, of uncertainties and governed by religion, being it of great rigidity and
authority. But the dissemination of knowledge was on the rise and allowed him
gradually overthrow ignorance, positioning oneself above it.

The production of literary works was increasing and more and more were the
people who were interested in university studies, privileges that
At that time, they were exclusive to the representatives of the church. Many
Writers of the Renaissance period were educated in universities that opened
its doors accepting students on a massive scale
Rome ceased to be the only center of knowledge and culture after its decline.
of the power, both of the Roman Catholic Church and of the cities of Italy. The
Renaissance scholars began to travel to other countries, thus spreading their knowledge.

In 1492, the invasion of America by the Spanish occurred.

full bloom of the literary movement. This had a great impact on the movement,
thus reinforcing the concept of humanism that overvalues reason over faith.

The aspects that characterized Renaissance Literature were:

The Feeling: It was the essential root of poetic inspiration that
Set aside the Savior as the central focus and recognize the maidens.
as a thing of fascination.
Nature: It was admired for its great beauty and for the
feelings that formed their great expanse and perfection.
Mythology: It was a repetitive argument throughout the
Characteristics

Notoriously prominent figures of ancient Greece.

Renaissance literature marked the return of classical fashion of
illustration that, in great disposition, had been hidden for the moment
in the Middle Ages since all writers admired the
Catholic Church and its doctrines.
As large cities and states began to
progress, religious decomposition increased. As a consequence,
the prestige of the church began to falter. The writers of the
Renaissance managed to spread their ideas and unite new
knowledge such as languages and degrees, available that are
they propagated through Europe. This change in teachings, which shifted from

to rely on all the wisdom of the church to develop in it

intellect and knowledge irritate esteem for the subject
humanitarian. That knowledge was expressed by the tendency of the
humanism. Both literature and the various disciplines
artistic trends that presented the Renaissance
were characterized by: The classical civilization of Greece and Rome that

was recovered, estimated as "the rebirth of tradition". The

knowledge was valued above faith and Greco-Roman ethics
opposed the ideas of the Catholic Church. He is compassionate towards the

humanity was estimated to be the focus of the world (contrary to

the Middle Ages when God was the axis of the universe). Nature
it was considered a badge of delicacy of pleasure

Themes of Renaissance literature

In Renaissance literature, revolutionary concepts such as the

humanism, which provoked both positive and negative responses in the audience, this

it was produced thanks to the criticisms that highlighted the Catholic Church.
the same, the supporters of the church prohibited and burned the works
companies.

The themes discussed in Renaissance literature were:

Love

Renaissance literature sang of Love and the beauty of the soul and the body.
As an example, William Shakespeare can be mentioned, in Romeo and Juliet, who
it raised the topic of impossible love with all the tragedy and drama that it brings

I can.

Nature

The landscapes and their beauty, along with the feelings they emanated, were the

favorite themes of authors of the time. An example of this is the genre

bucolic or pastoral, and a prominent work of this is the drama Aminta, by Torcuato
Tasso.

Classical mythology

It resurfaces and makes its appearance in themes, characters, and references, in many

works from the era, such as The Lusiads, by Luis de Camões. It is characterized by

mainly for addressing themes of gods, myths about the origin of the world, myths
stories about cooperation, love, and antagonism among gods, demigods, and
mortals, etc.

Feats of Knights
 Themes such as heroism, valor, and the danger of the hero were addressed in
many works of the time. The hero who travels the world gaining fame with his
feats, defeating giants and monsters, protecting the most vulnerable. How
for example we have Orlando Furioso, by Ludovico Ariosto, The Quixote, by Miguel
Cervantes, etc.

Social criticism

During this period, the questioning of some injustices also began to be noticed.
of society at the moment, its vices, the inequality and hypocrisy, that
they could appreciate in works like Lazarillo de Tormes.

Criticism of the church

Just as there was social criticism, the same was directed towards the
church, at a time when the reform and counter-reform stirred the scene
European, in works like Utopia by Thomas More, Praise of Folly by Erasmus
Rotterdam, where the way power had been exercised was questioned
through the church.

Religious feeling

With religion and feelings towards the divine, many works were created.
of literature in the era, which included among its themes the mythical Love for God. A

an example is the poem of dark night, by St. John of the Cross.

Genres of Renaissance literature

In Renaissance literature, different genres were cultivated:

 The lyric: the genre that endured for a long time and went further.
Cultivated through the Renaissance was poetry, which experienced a renewal of
very important, from the influence of Italian authors. Furthermore, this
genre had a branching with a religious distinction, which was known as
mystical poetry or aesthetic poetry, and these two currents have the same desire for
poetic approach to experiences of the sacred.

The modern novel: the great genre that was born in the bosom of the Renaissance was

the modern novel, of which the first text or work was Cervantes' Don Quixote.
This genre became very popular in the following centuries and took hold,
gradually, like the great modern genre that Europe perfected and exported
at all latitudes.

-The dramaturgy: most Renaissance works are written for

to represent oneself in theater; this was due to the fact that theater was the great medium of

mass communication that had been inherited from earlier times, and one that had not

demanded from the public, almost always illiterate and unable to read. That's why the

great works of Shakespeare were theatrical pieces.

Essay: understood as a prose discourse on a topic

specific. Different philosophers and thinkers practiced it with a lot of emotion,
since it allowed them to reflect on the main themes and concerns of
moment. This genre more than any other, reflected the vocation of reason
humanity for becoming aware of the universe around, which was only possible thanks to the

humanism and the rationalism of the time.

REPRESENTATIVES OF RENAISSANCE LITERATURE

Dante Alighieri: Italian poet, who made medieval thought go to
Renaissance style with his work "The Divine Comedy"

Jean Molière: dedicated to poetry, a playwright who is considered a

writer of great importance at a universal level. One of his main works;
Truffle

Niccolò Machiavelli; philosopher, writer of great importance for politics. A

his very important work: "The Prince"

Balthasar Castiglione: he was born in Italy and dedicated himself to poetry, he was also a

diplomat, one of his main works: The Courtier

Miguel Cervantes; a Spanish soldier who was also a renowned writer and
poet. His most remembered work; Don Quixote of La Mancha

Edmund Spencer: English devoted to poetry and considered one of the first
influential figures of English literature. One of their main works: the queen of the
fairy

William Shakespeare: author and writer of English dramas also dedicated to the
poetry, being the most recognized English writer. One of his main works
It was Romeo and Juliet

Thomas More: English theologian, writer, and thinker. A very important work of his
it was 'utopia'
Luis de Camoes: born in Portugal, a writer and poet. Great exponent of the
literature

Works of Renaissance literature

Likewise, some of the most popular works of the Renaissance were:

Praise of Folly (1511) by Erasmus of Rotterdam.

The Celestina (1514) by Fernando de Rojas (originally published under the
name of Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea.
The Prince (1532) by Niccolò Machiavelli.
Gargantua and Pantagruel (1534) by François Rabelais.
The Tale of Lazarillo de Tormes
The Lusiads (1572) by Luís de Camões.
Essays (1580) by Michel de Montaigne.
Romeo and Juliet (1595) by William Shakespeare.
The ingenious gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha (1605) by Miguel de Cervantes.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that literature is not just books with text or pages, it is
more than words, as was observed it is more complicated than it seems, it was
part of a whole movement along with the other arts.

The Renaissance was a movement in which various were involved.

arts, but in particular, speaking about literature in this era, helped to
to spread great ideas, thoughts, and advances in many areas, we have the
essay and the novel, including criticisms towards the very entities of maximum power
in the time and questioning of a bunch of ideologies that at one point
they made sense and became absurd.

It was practically a wake-up call that made people question about

various topics and had a more open mind on many subjects. It is also worth noting

mention that it was a source of entertainment and new topics were addressed and more

innovators, and from there great writers like Shakespeare, Miguel Cervantes and
many others, who left great classic works such as Romeo and Juliet, Don
Don Quixote of La Mancha, Lazarillo de Tormes and many other works that have not been able to

to be mentioned by the immense catalog that can be found.

There were many themes that innovated at the time, such as social criticism which
it would cease to be taboo with the passing of the centuries, but at first it did not have a very

Good acceptance from the public, which can be understood due to the
context of the years that were still lived, what this means is that literature
served as an influence for many talented people to break against the
system and start to question yourself.
References

Editorial team etecé (2022). Concept of Renaissance literature. Retrieved from:

htps://concepto.de/literatura-renacentta/#ixzz7KGpRMXas

Uriarte, J. (2020). Characteristics of Renaissance literature. Retrieved from:

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(2022). Concept of Renaissance. Retrieved from:

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