9780521430388 / 0521430380

Beginning as a movement based on the recovery of ancient texts, and archaeological study, humanism turned into a dynamic cultural program, influencing almost every facet of the intellectual life of the Renaissance. The fourteen original essays in this volume deal with all aspects of the movement, from its origins in Italy to its manifestation in the literature of More, Sidney and Shakespeare. Overall, The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism provides a comprehensive introduction to a major movement in the culture of early modern Europe.