Protestant Reformation and Humanism: A Literary Renaissance
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a movement with profound implications, seemingly rejecting medieval Christianity. Martin Luther, a German monk, reacted against Church corruption, similar to that depicted by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales. Many Catholics, like Erasmus of Rotterdam, sought internal Church reform. However, Luther’s disagreements led him to challenge fundamental Church doctrines, ultimately causing his break from the Catholic Church—hence the term “Protestants.“
The Reformation’s political ramifications were significant, splitting Europe into Protestant and Catholic countries often at war. Protestantism fractured the institution that had unified Europe under the Pope.
Key Tenets of Protestantism
- Rejection of the Pope’s spiritual leadership
- Rejection of the Church and priests’ authority as mediators between humanity and God
- Belief that salvation isn’t granted by the Church but through a direct, personal relationship with God achieved by reading the Bible. Many scholars suggest this emphasis on individual connection with God laid the foundation for modern individualism.
Literary Ramifications of the Reformation
- The Bible as Literary Inspiration: The Protestants’ rejection of Church authority shifted authority to the Bible. They stressed believers reading the Bible directly, translating it into vernacular languages. This significantly impacted literature, with the Bible becoming a renewed source of inspiration in form, theme, and symbolism.
- Emphasis on Inner Feeling: A more subtle, long-term effect was the emphasis on inner feeling, which later influenced the Romantic Movement.
Humanism
Humanism emphasized human dignity and life’s expanded possibilities in this world, shifting focus from contemplative to active life. Renaissance culture valued active public life involvement—moral, political, military action, and state service. Traditional religious values coexisted with these secular values; notably, humanists like Erasmus of Rotterdam were churchmen. Individual achievement, knowledge, and aspirations were also valued. The “Renaissance man” concept describes an individual active in public life, knowledgeable and skilled in many areas.
Imitation
Derived from the classical past, the literary doctrine of “imitation” had two traditional senses. Renaissance critics emphasized following predecessors over mirroring life. Unlike our focus on originality, the goal wasn’t creating something entirely new. Critics believed great literary works with moral values already existed in classical antiquity.
Writers were tasked with translating past moral visions for present readers by imitating great works, adapting them to a Christian perspective. Imitation wasn’t meant to be mechanical or complete, but rather capture the originals’ spirit, learning from the best models for their own purposes. However, imitation in the mimetic sense (mirroring life) was more common.
The imitation doctrine significantly impacted literary forms, reviving classical genres like epic, satire, comedy, and tragedy. This era witnessed a Golden Age of Theatre, led by dramatists like Shakespeare.