Renaissance Humanism

RENAISSANCE HUMANISM

Lecture Outline # 31

I HUMANISM = Educational approach, NOT a philosophy

ASTUDIA HUMANITATIS: Study of Humanity, Humanities, Humane Studies

1 Emphasized TRIVIUM (The A3"): Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic / Logic

a more human-centered, B> humane B> humanism B> Ahumanities@

b Human communication = valuable to Life of Business & Politics in City

2 DE-Emphasized Quadrivium (The A4"): Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy

a Emphasized in HMA & Taught in Universities by Scholastics / Churchmen

b Associated w/ Aristotle & AScience@ (physical world vs. Human world of communication)

c & with University curriculum leading to Medicine, Theology, Law

3 Humanism comes into Universities by ca. 1550 (after Jesuits)

B INTEREST & FOCUS OF LITERARY: PETRARCH

1 Petrarch = AFirst Humanist@

2 What did that mean?

a Searching out & restoring MS copies of Classic Works

1) Implies finding MSS (other libraries, crypts where hidden, etc)

2) Implies critiquing MSS to achieve correct copies

b Learning to read classical Latin & compose in it: Poetry, Sonnets, History, etc.

c Living a life of ALetters@ (Ars gratia artis) -- not church-life B> Litterati

d Sought Glory (like Greeks of old) -- to be Famous

3. PETRARCH'S LITERARY CRAFT

a STYLE: Ignored Medieval Conventions (general & non-individual ) and favored "True"

(individual) emotions

b Perfected the SONNET form (Petrarchan Sonnet)

c LATIN & ITALIAN WORKS

4 SELF-CONSCIOUS PURSUIT OF GLORY

a Dante & Boccaccio had received LAURAL CROWN of Poet Laureate of Italy

b Petrarch Crowned 8 April 1341, Rome, 37 yrs. old

c HOW DID HE DO IT?

1) Seeking for LAURO (Laurel Wreath)

2) DEVICE to achieve it = Sonnets to LAURA

3) PLAY ON WORDS: lauro: laurel wreath or laurel tree; l'auro: gold; Laura:

name of The Beloved; l'aura: the breeze

4) WAS LAURA INVENTED?? His contemporaries thought so

d 1st CREATION OF LITERARY PERSONA

1) Laura = OBJECT of poetry, TOOL

2) Poet himself, Petrarch = SUBJECT of poetry

5 NEW / RENAISSANCE (NOT - Medieval!) = SELF-Interest, SELF-Promotion,

SELF-Glorification

II HUMANISM EVOLVED INTO ACIVIC HUMANISM@ just after 1400 Ad

A ASSOCIATED W/ CIVIC LIFE OF FLORENCE, c. 1400

1 Florentine Republic (Little Boy David) at war w/ Duchy of Milan (Goliath)

2 Attack on Florentine Way of Lfe

B BACKGROUND TO DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIC HUMANISM

1 New Class of People dominate cities & city life B> New Institutions, society

2 Cities hire ACivil Servants,@ Abureaucrats@ from MC

3 Civic Humanism = Learning as AScience of the State@

4 New Scholar B> ARenaissance Man@

5 THO, LATE Renaissance Ideal = The Courtier (B. Castiglione)

III FOCUS OF CIVIC HUMANISM

A CLASSICAL LEARNING

1 TRIVIUM (see above)

2 & Subjects related to / useful in Political, Diplomatic, Commercial life of City-state

a Poetry (sonnets), etc.: expression of what it means to be HUMAN

b Classical architecture

c History (philosophy teaching us by historical examples)

d Moral Philosophy (eventually B> Machiavelli)

e Classical Law & Politics

B STRESSED THE VITA ACTIVA B ACTIVE LIFE

1 All human pursuits (not just life devoted to church as Monk or Priest)

2 Living Productively = duty to man and God

3 (vs. Vita contemplativa B Contemplative Life B of Medieval monastic retreat from world)

Janet M. Fortner

Spring 2005

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Lecture Outline # 31 I HUMANISM = Educational approach, NOT a philosophy A STUDIA HUMANITATIS : Study of Humanity, Humanities, Humane Studies 1 Emphasized TRIVIUM (The A 3"): Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic / Logic a more human-centered, B > humane B > humanism B > A humanities @ b Human communication = valuable to Life of Business & Politics in City 2 DE-Emphasized Quadrivium (The A 4"): Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, Astronomy a Emphasized in HMA & Taught in Universities by Scholastics / Churchmen b Associated w/ Aristotle & A Science @ (physical world vs. Human world of communication) c & with University curriculum leading to Medicine, Theology, Law 3 Humanism comes into Universities by ca. 1550 (after Jesuits) B INTEREST & FOCUS OF LITERARY: PETRARCH 1 Petrarch = A First Humanist @ 2 What did that mean? a Searching out & restoring MS copies of Classic Works

Implies finding MSS (other libraries, crypts where hidden, etc)
Implies critiquing MSS to achieve correct copies b Learning to read classical Latin & compose in it: Poetry, Sonnets, History, etc. c Living a life of A Letters @ ( Ars gratia artis ) -- not church-life B > Litterati d Sought Glory (like Greeks of old) -- to be Famous

PETRARCH'S LITERARY CRAFT a STYLE: Ignored Medieval Conventions (general & non-individual ) and favored "True" (individual) emotions b Perfected the SONNET form (Petrarchan Sonnet) c LATIN & ITALIAN WORKS 4 SELF-CONSCIOUS PURSUIT OF GLORY a Dante & Boccaccio had received LAURAL CROWN of Poet Laureate of Italy b Petrarch Crowned 8 April 1341, Rome, 37 yrs. old c HOW DID HE DO IT?

Seeking for LAURO (Laurel Wreath)

2) DEVICE to achieve it = Sonnets to LAURA

3) PLAY ON WORDS: lauro : laurel wreath or laurel tree; l'auro : gold; Laura :

name of The Beloved; l'aura : the breeze

WAS LAURA INVENTED?? His contemporaries thought so d 1 st^ CREATION OF LITERARY PERSONA
Laura = OBJECT of poetry, TOOL
Poet himself, Petrarch = SUBJECT of poetry 5 NEW / RENAISSANCE (NOT - Medieval!) = SELF-Interest, SELF-Promotion, SELF-Glorification II HUMANISM EVOLVED INTO A CIVIC HUMANISM @ just after 1400 Ad A ASSOCIATED W/ CIVIC LIFE OF FLORENCE, c. 1400 1 Florentine Republic (Little Boy David) at war w/ Duchy of Milan (Goliath) 2 Attack on Florentine Way of Lfe B BACKGROUND TO DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIC HUMANISM 1 New Class of People dominate cities & city life B > New Institutions, society 2 Cities hire A Civil Servants, @ A bureaucrats @ from MC 3 Civic Humanism = Learning as A Science of the State @ 4 New Scholar B > A Renaissance Man @ 5 THO, LATE Renaissance Ideal = The Courtier (B. Castiglione) III FOCUS OF CIVIC HUMANISM A CLASSICAL LEARNING 1 TRIVIUM (see above) 2 & Subjects related to / useful in Political, Diplomatic, Commercial life of City-state a Poetry (sonnets), etc.: expression of what it means to be HUMAN b Classical architecture c History (philosophy teaching us by historical examples) d Moral Philosophy (eventually B > Machiavelli) e Classical Law & Politics B STRESSED THE VITA ACTIVA B ACTIVE LIFE 1 All human pursuits (not just life devoted to church as Monk or Priest) 2 Living Productively = duty to man and God 3 (vs. Vita contemplativa B Contemplative Life B of Medieval monastic retreat from world) Janet M. Fortner Spring 2005 Use by express permission only

IV CIVIC HUMANISTS

A Coluccio SALUTATI (1331-1405) 1 Notary & Chancellor of Florence (documents & archives) 2 Purpose of Scholarship: boost morale during War w/ Duchy of Milan 3 Significance: a) Viewed as Beginning of Civic Humanism, first Civic Humanist b) New Literary learning turned to Civic / patriotic purposes B Lorenzo VALLA (1407-1457) 1 works as Papal Secretary & was familiar w/ Papal documents 2 Used new methods of critiquing MSS 3 Demonstrated Donation of Constantine was a fraud thru study of words / language a) Donation purports to be from ca. 330 AD: Constantine donated western Crown to Pope for him to dispose of b) Actually comes from c. 800 AD: Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of Romans & was looking for justification 4 Significance: New Learning used against Holy Mother Church C Niccolo` Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) 1 Active Public Servant of LATE Florentine Republic 2 1527, exiled to his estates in Tuscany when Medici retook power (helped by French) 3 wrote many works: Discourses on [.. .] Livy , Art of War , A History of Florence 4 Discourses = his greatest work; thoroughly Republican & ethical 5 The Prince B VERY different from the Discourses a WHY different?

Sees Seizure of power by 1 individual as Major threat to Republics
Addresses how Italy can recover her freedom (French / HRE)
Wants to curry favor w/ Medici hoping to return to gov = t service b THEMES: citizens armies only; resolute policy + cash; no neutralism; if the people are suffering, rulers cannot afford luxury of a conscience c Represents: thoroughly secular principles of govt (not atheistic, just no place for God in affairs of men B hence, humanism ) d Never said: A The Ends justify the means @ ( I fini giustificano i mezzi).
BUT, the idea of doing the expedient thing IS there
Significance: New learning used for thoroughly secular purposes
Renaissance Ended B MODERN has begun! Janet M. Fortner Spring 2005 Use by express permission only

Renaissance Humanism - Western Civilization to 1500 | HIST 110, Study notes of Cultural History of Europe

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