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4. The English Renaissance
1. The Origination of Renaissance
The renaissance makes a transition from the medieval to the modern word. Generally，it refers to the period between the 14th and mid-17th centuries. It fist started in Italy，with the flowering of painting，sculpture and literature. The Renaissance，which means re-birth or revival，is actually a movement stimulated by a ries of historical events，such as the rediscovery of ancient Roman and Greek culture，the new discoveries in geography and astrology，the religious reformation and the economic expansion. The Renaissance，therefore，in esnce，is a historical period in which the European humanist thinkers and scholars made attempts to get rid of tho old feudalist ideas in medieval Europe，to introduce new ideas that expresd the interests of the rising bourgeoisie，and to recover the purity of the early church from the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.
2. Humanism
muf（1）Humanism is the esnce of the Renaissance.
（2）It sprang from the endeavor to restore a medieval reverence for the antique authors of Greek and Roman Civilization bad on the conception that man is measure of all things.gnet
（3）Renaissance humanists found in the classics a justification to exalt human nature and came to e that human beings were glorious creatures capable of individual development in the direction of perfection, and that the world they inhabited was theirs not to despi but to question explore and enjoy.完美英语
（4）By emphasizing the dignity of human beings and the importance of the prent life, they voiced their beliefs that man did not only have the right to enjoy the beauty of this life, but had the ability to perfect himlf and to perform wonders.
（5）Humanism began to take hold in England when the Dutch Scholar Desiderius Erasmus came to teach the classical learning, first at Oxford and then at Cambridge.
（6）Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are the best reprentatives of the English humanists. Thomas More’s Utopia (1478-1535)
3. The Renaissance in England
The Renaissance was slow in reaching England not only becau of England’s paration from the Continent but also becau of its domestic unrest.
（1）Till the region of Henry that the Renaissance came to England. With Henry VIII’s encouragement, the Oxford and Cambridge reformers, scholars and humanists introduced classical literature to England. The bible was revitalized, and the literature, already much read in 15 century, became more popular.
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（2）The main writer of this period are Shakespeare, Edmund Spenr, Ben Jonson, Philip Sidney, Christophe Marlowe, Francis Bacon and John Donne.
（3）Characteristic:
The English Renaissance had no sharp break with the past. Attitudes and feelings which had been Characteristic of the 14 and 15 centuries persisted well down into the era of Humanism and Reformation.
4. The Religious reformation of Protestantism
（1）It was Martin Luther, a German Protestant, who initiated the Reformation, he believed that every true Christian was his Own priest and was entitled to interpret the Bible for himlf.
（2）Reformers from northern Europe vitalized the protestant movement, which was en as a means to recover the purity of the early Church from the Corruption and superstition of the Middle Ages.
（3）Henry 8 cut ties with Rome, Common English people welcomed and supported Henry’s decision of breaking away from Rome, and declared himlf through the Parliament as the supreme head of the Church of England. One of the major results was the fact that the Bible in English was placed in every church and rvices were held in English instead of Latin, so that people could understand.
（4）In the reign of Edward VI, the reform of the church’s doctrine and teaching was carried out.
（5）After Mary ascended the throne, there was a violent swing to Catholicism.
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（6）By the middle of Elizabeth’s region, Protestantism had been firmly established.
（7）Esnce of it:
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广州自考The religious reformation was actually a reflection of the class struggle waged by the new rising bourgeoisie against the feudal class and its ideology.
5. The literature in the Renaissance
1) The background of history and culture.2006年时代周刊风云人物
William Caxton，he was the first person who introduced printing into England. Thus，for the first time in history it was possible for a book or and idea to reach the whole nation in a speedy way. With the introduction of printing, an age of translation came into being. With classical culture and the Italian humanistic ideas coming into England, the English Renaissance began flourishing.
