HUMANISM - ITALIAN AND ENGLISH REINASSANCE

ITALIAN AND ENGLISH REINASSANCE

In England the reformation stopped the diffusion of reinassance. There is a big difference in time between english reinassace and italian reinassance.

In Italy, the renaissance was more serene, it proposed the study of Plato, freedom of fought and the human dimension of man.

In England reinassance was more meditative, it said that individualism was a responsability and not enjoyable self assertion. In England they tried to reconcile the pagan spirit of humanism with christianity. In Italy the culture of Humanism was supported by popes and important families (f.e. de Medici).

In England the king closed many monastries, confiscated the treasures and even executed Thomas More.

PROSE

During the reinassance, greater importance was given to rhythm and cadence. English style became more precise. The habit of  writing latin probably influenced English vocabulary

THOMAS MORE

- he was born in London in 1478

- he studied in Oxford and became a lawyer

- Erasmus introduced him to humanism

- he was a learned and brilliant person

- after the english reformation he refused to acknowledge Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England and for this reason he was beheaded

UTOPIA

- Thomas More is the author of Utopia

- Utopia was published in Latin in 1516 and trasleated into english in 1551

- the work is a dialogue between More and an immaginary traveller (R. Hythloday), who had visited many foreign lands

- this work is divided into two books

- the first represents England at the beginning of the century, before the english reformation. It's a denunciation of the country, the wrong use of private property, and the greed of the nobles, who change their fields from crops (plants for food) to pastures (fields of grass)

- this conversion causes unemployment and poverty

- he shows his sensibility for poor people with this observation

- the second describes the immaginary island of Utopia which is the opposite to England because :

1) private property has disappeared

2) religion is tolerated

3) nobody works more than 6 hours per day

4) the king/queen is chosen by the people

5) war and luxury are not tolerated

6) everybody including women, have the right to education

7) hunting (cacciare) has been abolished

8) the law is simple and easy to understand

LAWS IN UTOPIA

- there are very few laws in utopia because with less laws it is easier for people to understand

- the laws that exist are very easy to understand, the simplier the law is, the more just it is

- because the laws are easy to understand, there is need to have lawyers

- people defend themselves in court

- a potential criminal speaks directly with the judge, this makes a trial (processo) easier

MORE AND AMERICA

- Utopia has been interpreted in different ways

- one interpretation is that Utopia could represent More's idea of an idealized new world: America

- Utopia is intentionally described as an isolated, uncorrupted island, but some descriptions indicate that More is speaking about America

- More learnt about America through Vespucci's mundus novus

- More describes Utopia as "new isle" (nuova isoletta) which reminds us Vespucci's mondus novus

- Hythloday in book one joins company with Vespucci

- the social structure of Utopia reflects the social structure of America: 

1) private property does not exist

2) there are few laws

3) there is no currency (sistema monetario)

4) work is organised on a collective basis

5) precious stones are used as ornaments

- Utopia speaks about the problems of colonization and says that colonization is a solution for the problem of over-population

- people who have too much land should allow their property to be used by other people, if they refuse then a war should be started against them to make them give their land to people who want to colonize it