How does poetry of the Renaissance reflect the historical period?
It was ornate, celebratory of wit and intellect, adventurous and robust in its use of language, far-ranging in its allusions to both Classical sources and contemporary discoveries. I dunno … in the child’s garden of English history, we talk about the Renaissance as being that moment in Western culture when the West re-discovered Classical learning and with it the classical attitude that “man is the measure” — that rather than cowering before God in the arms of the Church, Man is master of the universe, his intellect uniquely suited to explore the secrets of the universe. Renaissance poetry reflects all that pride and energy.
