Posted: July 14th, 2022

Medieval and Renaissance Criticism

Medieval and Renaissance Criticism
The exact beginning and end of the medieval and renaissance periods remain unclear. The medieval period is believed to have begun around the 5th century during the collapse of the Roman Empire, and extended to the 15th century. In England, the medieval period is said to have span eight centuries between 725 AD to 1474 AD. The end of the medieval period marked the beginning of the renaissance period, commonly referred to as the middle ages or the “Dark Ages.”
Medieval Criticism
English literary criticism was the only standard work dealt with during the Medieval ages. The development of medieval literature originated from Charlemagne’s desire to educate his people, which was influenced by the emphasis laid on Christian teachings. Christianity was legalized and later adopted as the religion of the Mediterranean region, with Roman Catholicism dominating the Western region. The church began overseeing major societal roles, including education and other laws of the land. Through the years, the church continued to wield more power overriding the monarchies that once dominated the society.
Classical elements were either completely absorbed or modified to become part of it. The once-dominant pagan literature was also integrated to create the medieval ethos or character. Literature was classified under grammar, rhetoric, or poetry. Systematic poetic grammar was also established, which prescribed a scientific way of speaking and reading for poets. This was a very significant development as it marked the conception and development of eloquent speech.
Poetry was also a very important area in the medieval age. It was viewed as a gift, a prophecy, and a form of revelation equated to philosophy in the preceding ages. Prosody was incorporated with the aim of establishing the correct logic or grammar that should be used by prospective poets. A significant amount of medieval criticism was also spent on reading and interpreting the bible and other supernatural and allegoric works.
Renaissance Criticism
The renaissance period, which translates to “rebirth” or ”reawakening,” succeeded the medieval period and covered the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The movement that began in Italy would later diffuse to other European countries, including France, Germany, and England. Literary renaissance criticism was mostly focused on the justification of imaginative literature. Literature was alleged to have evolved from theology and philosophy. They also discovered different forms of literature from the medieval age, where they also focused on classifying and justifying the work.
Renaissance criticism was also significantly involved in comparing and merging the best elements from the works of Aristotle and Horace in the effort to establish literal criticism as an independent area of study. New literary genres, such as essays, were also established. The renaissance period was characterized by the adoption of a humanist philosophy, which lay a lot of emphasis on people as rational, dignified, and worthy beings. This period helped prepare and widen the horizon of knowledge, playing a major role in ushering in the period of enlightenment.

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