Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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1. Vilgard at Ravenna
The story of Vilgard, a man whose lust for knowledge is so great that he is
possessed, is told in an orthodox catholic light. Pride and anything in excess
are discouraged, stability and humility praised.
2. Imitation of Christ
Thomas a Kempis gives modern man insight into the extreme self-denial of
midevil times. This writing gives advice on how to become more Christ-like,
such as "find comfort in tribulation" and "forsake this wretched world".
3. The Book of the City of Ladies
A feminist viewpoint is represented in this story. Pisan believes that a
city can be built by women stronger than any built by man. She also refutes
many of the arguments men have used against women. For instance, a Latin
proverb says "God made women to speak, weep, and sew." Pisan used the bible as
her defense, giving examples of times when Christ praised these or used them for
his benefit. She even says that men are "evil, diabolical people who with to
twist the good...naturally found in women into evil and reproach.
4. Letter to Franciscus de Fiana
Cincius Romanus writes this letter to ask his teacher for help in saving
books. Books and knowledge are treasured by Romanus and he compares the
destruction of them with murder, saying that one who destroys books "deprive[s]
the public of culture, of the liberal arts and actually of all nourishment of
the human mind, without which men can hardly live at all".
5. A Portrait of Nezahualcoyotl
This is the story of Nezahualcoyotl's birth and rite of passage. Under this
ruler a Renaissance takes place in which Texcoco becomes the intellectual center
of the world. All types of people gathered there, including astronomers,
scientists, musicians, historians, and skilled craftsman. This story suggests
that the Renaissance was not a result of culture, but of something ready to be
born from a place inside all men. It was an explosion of knowledge and
creativity that reached every continent.
6. Of the Dignity of Man
This writing is a celebration of humanity. Pico della Mirandola believes
that man is the greatest of creatures because he can make decisions, choose his
own fate. Pico admires the inconsistency and imperfection of man.
7. Building the Cathedral in Florence
Filippo di Ser Brunelleschi won the commision to build the dome on the
cathedral in Florence. Brunelleschi planned a brilliant design for the dome and
had to invent several machines to be able to carry it out. Brunelleschi carried
out an almost impossible task, for which he recieved reknown as the founder of
Renaissance architecture.
8. Machiavelli
In the Prince, Machiavelli describes how to hold power and stabilize a
society. He describes the different types of principalities and how they can be
acquired and held. Machiavelli also explains how the good of the people (rather
than the rights of a few citizens or a moral code) is the most important aspect
of the prince's job. A few men may be hurt, but he warns that "men must either
be pampered or crushed, because they can get revenge for small injuries but not
for grevious ones." Hatred, according to Machiavelli, is the most dangerous
thing for a prince to face, instead he should be loved or feared, becaused
hatred is the only emotion that would turn the people against him. Finally,
Machiavelli states that "the art of war is all that is expected of a ruler",
because "there is no avoiding war, it can only be post