literature in Britain in the period beginning in around 1500 and lasting until the mid-
1600s. Influenced by the artistic and cultural Renaissance, the transformation of
both English language and literature in this period can be seen to move away from
the medieval Middle English literature period and into the more recognizably
modern Elizabethan literature. The period is characterized by the influence of the
classics (in literature, language, and philosophy), as well as an optimistic forward-
thinking approach to the potential of humans (known as Renaissance humanism. See
also English literature.
influences
In simple terms, the Renaissance in England was caused by the spread of
Renaissance learning and ideology from Italy, where it developed earlier (c.1400–
1500). The Renaissance embraced not only literature, but also art and architecture.
In literary terms, the study of the classical poets led not only to their translation
into English but the adaptation of their verse forms and systems of poetical metre,
as well as the embracing of their themes and genres. An illustration of the linguistic
explosion caused by the Renaissance is the addition of more than 10,000 new words
to the language in a short space of time, mainly from Latin. The Renaissance also
led to a rebirth of classical humanism, which encouraged knowledge of the arts,
languages, and a generally broad and active education. This led to a great spirit of
confidence and the urge to explore the potential that language, literature, and
philosophy could offer and the heights that humans could reach.
A brief survey of significant historical and social events in the period, suggests that
the flowering of English literature was part of a larger whole. The development of
the printing press led to a communications revolution and increased literacy. There
were 20,000 different publications in England between 1500 and 1640. There was a
new curiosity, marked by discoveries in science, astronomy, and geography. Italian
navigators Christopher Columbus and Sebastian Cabot explored into the ‘New World’
in the 1490s. It was also a time of religious change; the English Reformation (under
King Henry VIII) broke the English church away from Roman Catholicism in 1533, and
the spread of Protestantism in Europe were both influential factors on literature and
everyday life.