Happy Tuesday 
• Can you please help me move the
desks back into groups? Then you
can take out your class notes, please
and thank you. 
Today’s Warm Up
• Answer on your warm up/exit ticket sheet:
• Which subject would you be most interested
in studying and why?
– Grammar
– History
– Poetry
– Rhetoric (the art of persuasive writing or speaking;
usually impresses an audience but is sometimes
accused of lacking sincerity)
• Take out your class notes
Writers of the
Renaissance
A New Kind of Literature
Today’s LEQ: How have art
and literature shaped the
modern world?
A New Kind of Literature…
• People wanted to
be more well
rounded
–Idea of
Renaissance
man arose
• Self-help books
came out to
“help” you
Self-Help Books
• Niccolo Machiavelli –
“The Prince”
–“How-to” guide for
leaders
“… it is much safer to be feared
than loved.”
“…the ends justifies the means.”
Self-Help Books
• Baldassare Castiglione
– “The Book of the
Courtier”
• “How-to” guide on
becoming a
Renaissance man
“Men demonstrate their
courage far more often in
little things than in great.”
Writing for Entertainment
• Francesco Petrarch –
“Sonnets to Laura”
• One of the earliest
humanist, wrote love
poems for an imaginary
woman
“It was on that day when the sun's ray was
darkened in pity for its Maker, that I was
captured, and did not defend myself,
because your lovely eyes had bound me,
Lady.”
Writers for a New Audience
• Most previous works written in Latin
• New middle class demanded works
in the vernacular and craved
dramatic tales and earthly comedies
William Shakespeare
• English poet &
playwright
• Portrayed personality
and human emotions
• “Hamlet”, “Romeo &
Juliet”, “Macbeth”
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the
slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to
take arms against a sea of troubles, and by
opposing end them?”
The Northern Renaissance
• Renaissance ideals spread north from Italy
– Printing press
– European students
• Northern humanist combine Christianity and
classical learning
Desiderius Erasmus – “The Praise of Folly”
• Criticized church’s lack of
spirituality
• Too complicated and
ceremonial
“I doubt if a single individual could be found from
the whole of mankind free from some form of
insanity. The only difference is one of degree. A
man who sees a gourd and takes it for his wife is
called insane because this happens to very few
people.”
Sir Thomas More –
“Utopia”
• Friend of Erasmus, shared
similar view
• Condemned government as
corrupt
“…wherever you are, you always have to work.
There’s never any excuse for idleness… Everyone
has his eye on you, so you’re practically forced
to get on with your job, and make some proper
use of your spare time. Under such a system,
there’s bound to be plenty of everything, and, as
everything is divided equally among the entire
population, there obviously can’t be any poor
people or beggars.”
Book Jacket Activity
• In groups of 2 or 3 you will create a book jacket for
one of the Renaissance writers discussed today.
Included should be:
– A creative cover
– An “about the author” section
– At least one quote from one of the author’s
works
– Brief description of the book/writing
– Critical acclaim (accomplishments)
– Most importantly, how does this particular
literature reflect the change in thought during
the Renaissance? (connection to humanism)
Erasmus
• Title & Brief Description: “The Praise of Folly” /
Used satire to criticize the Catholic Church /
Instantly became a best seller
• About the Author: Good friends with Sir Thomas
More / Lost a lot of friends because of his beliefs
but helped to influence the Reformation Era.
• Connection to Humanism: Focused on providing
“how-to” guide on Christian attitudes and human
behavior; He was a scholar who went against the
Catholic Church.
Are you smelling what I’m stepping in?
• This unit focuses on the idea of change an
continuity over time. Compare the styles of
writing developed during the Renaissance to
modern day. What patterns emerge – change
and/or continuity? Provide specific examples.