The Renaissance in England: A Meeting Point

This essay deals with the concept of Renaissance, proposing a definition of the term as a meeting point, in both historical and geographical terms. Then, it focuses on its etymology, in the context of the investigation of other keywords such as humanism and Middle Ages. The very flexibility of this concept in historical terms suggests we should look at it not as a starting point, but rather as a long period of transformation, marked by a number of historical events, such as the Black Death, the establishment of printing in Europe, and the Protestant Reformation. Such events are often distant in time, but their interaction brings about the passage from medieval to early modern. The essay then moves on to discuss the Renaissance in England against the background of its interaction with other European countries. The claim underlying this section is that the uniqueness of Tudor literature is the result of a multiplicity of voices: by opening itself to texts from other cultures, the English canon acquires its identity. Encouraged by the development of printing and the spread of education, translation becomes a primary concern for Tudor writers: it develops both vertically, by importing classical texts as well as works from the Latin and vernacular Middle Ages, and horizontally, by acquiring contemporary classics. Thanks to the proliferation of translations, the English language becomes a rich and flexible instrument. At the same time, the greater ease of travel and the intensifying exchanges between England and the rest of Europe promote the circulation of ideas and texts at an international level, and help put England on the early modern cultural map.