What are the main characteristics of Italian Humanism? Why were Italian humanists so interested in Classical civilization?
Note especially Pico della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man.
And Machiavelli’s Prince. In what ways did art change in the Renaissance? Discuss in particular changes in painting and some of the artists who were responsible.
How do you think that the artistic and cultural vitality of the Italian Renaissance was related to the system of independent city-states in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries?
How did Dante envision the Universe and Man’s place in it? Compare Dante’s vision with that of Pico della Mirandola.
What was the importance of the invention of printing for the northern renaissance? What changes did printed books (and pamphlets) bring to intellectual life? Note that the period of the Renaissance and the humanistic movements was also the period of the great “Witch scare” in Europe–which was especially strong in southern Germany and Switzerland. Why do you think witchcraft became such an obsessive concern of many people (especially those in authority) during the 15th and 16th centuries?
