What is Humanism Renaissance? Renaissance Humanism in literature

Renaissance definition: The Renaissance was, in essence, an intellectual ‘Rebirth’. Italian word Renaissance its means ‘The Revival Of Learning’. Actually, it's a Roman and Greek classic regeneration. Like most great historical movements, the Renaissance can't be said to have begun at any specific movement or to have been confined to any one department of human activity. Literally, ‘Renaissance’ means ‘rebirth’ or ‘reawakening’ and the name refers to the rebirth of classical especially Greek learning, often centuries of comparative neglect.

 In other words, it was an age of classical revival Greek literature revived, Greek literature re-interpreted. This classical revival had great effects on the life and literature of Europe.  But this revived interest is only part of a larger change in point of view. It's related to questioning of tradition, the rise of a scientific spirit, emphasis on the complete development of the individual, and a concentration of attention if this present world rather than the next. 

The terms Renaissance and Humanism are often applied to the same movement. The term Renaissance, though used by many writers to denote the whole transition from the Middle Ages to the modern world is more correctly applied to the revival of art resulting from the discovery and imitation of classic models in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Humanism Renaissance definition: On the other hand, Humanism applies to the revival of classical literature and was so-called by its leaders following the example of Petrarch. They held that the study of the classics - "more human writings" rather than the old theology – was the best means of promoting the largest human interests. In the 16th century, the word "humanist" was coined to signify one who taught or worked in the 'studia humanitatis" or humanities, that is grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry and moral philosophy. Scholarly humanists devoted themselves to the rediscovery and intense study of first Roman and then Greek literature and culture, in particular the works of Cicero, Aristotle and Plato and contributed greatly to the store of materials and ideas of the European Renaissance.

In the 9th century a new word, 'Humanism' came to be applied to the view of human nature, the general values, and the educational ideas common to many Renaissance humanists, as well as to a number of later writers in the same tradition. The reason, balance, and proper dignity for men were the central ideas of humanist thought.

Many humanists stressed the need for rounded development of man's diverse powers, physical and mental, artistic and moral as opposed to merely technical or specialised training. Matthew Arnold, the great proponent of humanism in the Victorian period, strongly defended the predominance of human studies in general education.

It the 20th century, the American movement (1910-1933) known as the New Humanism argued strongly for a return to a primarily humanist education, and to a viewed moral and literary values based largely on classical literature. Renaissance humanists were pious Christian who incorporated the concepts and ideals inherited from pagan antiquity in the frame of the Christian creed.

Recently, it has become common to refer to the synthesis of Classical and Christian views typical of writers such as Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and John Milton as Christian Humanism. Petrarch has been called the father of humanism. He was not only a poet but also a classical scholar who was greatly impressed by ancient culture. Similarly, Boccaccio, Machiavelli, Erasmus, Montaigue, Sir Thomas More, Sir Philip Sidney, John Colet, Edmund Spenser were the prominent humanists whose works were important in the context of the Renaissance, because each one of them exemplifies ease and confidence in the use of vernacular without which no Renaissance can be creative and successful.

So we can say that Humanism began to develop in Italy in the 14th century and spread all over Europe in the 15th and 16th century. It was an intellectual movement which characterized the Renaissance, and the attitude of mind is one of the characteristics of this movement. Humanism represents an open break with a good many of the standard ideas of the Middle Ages. It emphasized the dignity of man and his perfectibility.

The literature, languages and thought of ancient Rome and Greece occupied a chief position in the thinking of the humanists. The emulation of the ancient writers is no longer a dominant force in literature, but humanistic ideals are still influential in modern thought.