Description

By (author) Brotton Jerry

Short /annotation:
This wide-ranging exploration of the Renaissance sees the period as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement and cultural experimentation and interaction on a global scale. It guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from art, architecture, and literature, to advances in science, trade and travel.

:
More than ever before, the Renaissance stands as one of the defining moments in world history. Between 1400 and 1600, European perceptions of society, culture, politics and even humanity itself emerged in ways that continue to affect not only Europe but the entire world. This wide-ranging exploration of the Renaissance sees the period as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement and cultural experimentation and interaction on a global scale, alongside a darker side of religion, intolerance, slavery, and massive inequality of wealth and status. It guides the reader through the key issues that defined the period, from its art, architecture, and literature, to advancements in the fields of science, trade, and travel. In its incisive account of the complexities of the political and religious upheavals of the period, the book argues that Europe”s reciprocal relationship with its eastern neighbours offers us a timely perspective on the Renaissance that still has much to teach us today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Table of contents:
Introduction ; 1. A global Renaissance ; 2. The humanist script ; 3. Church and state ; 4. Brave New Worlds ; 5. Science and Philosophy ; 6. Rewriting the Renaissance ; Timeline ; Further Reading ; Index

Review quote:
Review from previous edition a young Turk who likes to entertain . . . Brotton”s book is full of arts and crafts . . .engaging and alluring . . .This is a Renaissance you can touch and feel

Review quote:
energetic and committed agenda

Review quote:
offers some impressive fresh evidence

Review quote:
this is a Renaissance you can touch and feel

Biographical note:
Dr Jerry Brotton is Senior Lecturer in Renaissance Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, and author of ”The Sale of the Late King”s Goods: Charles I and his Art Collection” (Pan Macmillan).

Review quote: previous edition:
`Review from previous edition a young Turk who likes to entertain . . . Brotton”s book is full of arts and crafts . . .engaging and alluring . . .This is a Renaissance you can touch and feel ”Sunday Times`energetic and committed agenda ”Financial Times`offers some impressive fresh evidence”Independent`this is a Renaissance you can touch and feel”Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

Publisher’s notice:
Dr Jerry Brotton is Senior Lecturer in Renaissance Studies, Queen Mary, University of London, and author of ”The Sale of the Late King”s Goods: Charles I and his Art Collection” (Pan Macmillan).

Version history:
First clear and concise account of the Renaissance as a global phenomenon as opposed to a purely European event. An important new vision of the Renaissance for the 21st century by a young Renaissance scholar of a new generation.Controversially disputes traditional view of a single Renaissance – proposing that this was a vibrant cultural period when western and eastern cultures mixed to great mutual benefitConsiders the Renaissance in terms of both science and the arts.Offers both a comprehensive overview of a global Renaissance and a new view of the role of the East in the dev