RENAISSANCE AND ITS IMPACT

ON ENGLISH LITERATURE

By: Dr. Nalini Shyam Kamil

Senior Assistant Professor
Department of English & Other Foreign Languages,
Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi
 What is Renaissance?
‘Renaissance’ is an Italian word which means
rebirth, revival or reawakening. It refers to the
rebirth or revival of classical life and learning.
It denotes the whole transition from the
Middle ages to the Modern world. It is also
considered the discovery by mankind of
himself and of the world.
 Renaissance in England
The influence of Renaissance reached England
at the end of the 15th Century when it was
almost on the wane in Europe. The age of
Shakespeare was the era of Renaissance in
England. It began in new worship of beauty, a
new worship of knowledge and a new
statesmanship. The Renaissance spirits
reached England through Italy.
 Influence of Renaissance on English
Literature
The influence of Renaissance is immense. W.H.
Hudson remarks:
“On the development of Literature this revival of
learning worked in two ways: it did much to
emancipate thought from the bondage of
medieval theology by restoring the generous
spirit and ideals of pagan antiquity, and it
presented writers with literary masterpieces
which they might take as models for their own
efforts.”
 The Writers who were influenced by
the spirits of Renaissance
 The spirits of Renaissance greatly influenced the
poets and sonneteers of the time. They were- Sir
Thomas Wyatt, Earl of Surrey, Edmund Spenser,
Sir Philip Sydney, Danial, Drayton and William
Shakespeare.
 The dramatists of Renaissance age were also
influenced by its ideology. They were John Lyly,
Robert Greene, George Peele, Thomas Kyd,
Thomas Nash, Thomas Lodge and Christopher
Marlowe.
 The prose of early Renaissance consists largely
of translations. The writers of this period were
educationists and reformers rather than
creative writers. The prose writers like Sir
Thomas Moore, Sir Francis Bacon, Richard
Hooker, Thomas Nash etc. were highly
influenced by Renaissance passion.
 Influence of Humanism
The entire literature of this period is suffused
with the spirit of humanism. The concept of
man as the Crown of Creation is the key factor
in all Renaissance Literature. All the writers of
the age were ardent humanist.
Influence of the spirit of Discovery and
Adventure
The influence of the spirit of discovery and
adventure runs through the literature of
Elizabethan Age and even after that. It is due
to Renaissance passion Columbus discovered
America and Vasco da Gama discovered the
New World. Apart from it several inventions
and discoveries took place during the age.
The influence of Classical Learning
The revival of classical learning influenced a
content, style and technique of literature.
Plato and Aristotle exercised immense
influence on English Literature. The poets and
writers of this period experimented with
language and invented new models of
expression.
 Influence of Rational and Scientific
Quest
The Renaissance fostered the spirit of
questioning of rational and scientific quest for
truth. “Make and appeal to the reason of
man” became the ideal of many writers.
Bacon is the high priest of this attitude.
 Conclusion
In the age of Renaissance it was believed that
man is the maker of his own destiny. Man has
immense power and potentiality. If he
recognizes his potentiality he can be the most
powerful and wealthiest man in the world. It
was also considered that man is the master of
this universe. The writers who were born and
bread in the age of Renaissance wrote the
literary masterpieces on these themes of
Renaissance.
Thank you