Renaissance(14th—mid17th)•It’stherebirthofGreekandRomancultures.ItsprangfirstinItalyinthe14thcenturyandgraduallyspreadalloverEurope.Twofeaturesarestrikingofthismovement.Oneisthethirstfortheclassicalliteratureandtheotheristhekeeninterestinlifeandhumanactivities.TheRenaissanceA.Athirstycuriosityforclassicalliterature.Oldmanuscriptsweredugout.TherearoseageneralrevivalofthestudyofGreekandLatinauthors.•WhilepeoplelearnedtoadmiretheirworksasmodelsofliteraryformtheyalsocaughtsthverydifferentinspiritfromthemedievalCatholicdogma.•SotheloveofclassicswasinfactalsoanexpressionofthegeneraldissatisfactionwiththeCatholicandfeudalideas.•B.Thekeeninterestinlifeandhumanactivities.PeopleceasedtolookuponthemselvesaslivingonlyforGodandafutureworld.Thinkers,artists,andpoetsshowedtheiradmirationforhumanbeautyandhumanachievements.Soarosehumanism—thekey-noteoftheRenaissance,reflectingthenewoutlookoftherisingbourgeoisclass.Ideas:bothmanandtheworldarehinderedfrominfiniteimprovementbyexternalchecks;mancouldmouldtheworldaccordingtohisdesires,andattainhappinessbyremovingallexternalchecksbytheexerciseofhumanintellect.Thisisagreatestandmostadvancedrevolutioninthehumanhistory.Thisistheagethegiantsareneededandproduced.------F.EnglesHerefromEngels’analysiswemayseethechiefcharacteristicsoftheRenaissance:(1)Politicallythefeudalnobilitylosttheirpowerandwiththeestablishmentofthegreatmonarchiestherewasthecentralizationofpowernecessaryforthedevelopmentofthebourgeoisie;TheChiefCharacteristicsoftheBackgroundoftheRenaissance•(2)TheCatholicChurchwaseithersubstitutedbyProtestantismasaresultoftheso-calledReformation(asinGermanyandEngland)orweakenedinitsdictatorshipovermen’sminds(asinItalyandFranceandSpain);•(3)Geographicaldiscoveriesopenedupcolonialexpansionandtraderoutestodistantpartsoftheworldandbroughtbackgoldandsilverandotherwealthandalsobroadenedmen’smentalhorizons;•(4)Inthecountrysidethepeasantswereterriblyexploitedandtheyeitherroseinuprisingsorranawayandflockedtothecitiesandaddedtotheproletariatthere;•(5)Inthecitiesthemerchantsandthemasterartisansgrewinwealthandinpowerandbecamethebourgeoisiewhilehandicraftturnedgraduallyintomanufactureandthemodernproletariatsprangupamongtheemployedworkersinthefactories;andfinally,•(6)Culturally,astheinterestinGodandinthelifeafterdeathwastransformedintotheexaltationofmanandanabsorptioninearthlylifeandasmaterialisticphilosophyandscientificthoughtgraduallyreplacedthechurchdogmasandreligiousmysticismoftheMiddleAges,atotallynewcultureroseoutoftherevivaloftheoldcultureofancientGreeceandRomeandoutoftheemergenceofanewphilosophyandscienceandartandliteraturethroughtheexplorationoftheinfinitecapabilitiesofman.Examples•①Copernicus(哥白尼)assertedthattheearthwasnotthecenteroftheuniverse；②ThepassionatePetrarchproducedsonnetsthatinfluencedShakespeareandmanyothers；③Boccaccio(卜伽邱)wrotetalesofeternalcharm；④MarcoPolo(马可波罗)madejourneysintotheremotekingdomofChina；⑤Michelangelo（米开朗琪罗），LeonardodaVinci(达芬奇)，Raphael(拉斐尔)，andTitian(提香)createdpaintingsandsculpturesthatareinvaluabletreasuresoftheworld．《最后的晚餐》（意大利）达·芬奇画1495-1497年米兰圣玛利亚·格拉契修道院藏文艺复兴美术三杰《西斯廷教堂天顶画》局部壁画36·54×13·14米米开朗期罗（意大利）梵帝冈西斯廷教堂藏（1475-1564年）《蒙娜丽莎》意大利达·芬奇画木板油画77×53厘米1503-1505年巴黎卢浮尔宫...
