The Renaissance - Paperback

by Alison M. Brown (Author)

The Renaissance, now in its third edition, engages with earlier and current debates about the Renaissance, especially concerning its 'modernity', its elitism and gender bias and its globalism.

This new edition has been revised to include a discussion of Venice, Rome, Naples and Florence and their relationship with surrounding courts and smaller provincial towns. Brown provides a fresh insight into some of the main themes of the Renaissance, with humanism now being explored in relation to gender, the position of women and the response of religious reformers to the new ideas. The broad geographical scope, concluding with an examination of diffusion through trade with Constantinople, Portugal and Spain, allows students to fully explore how the Renaissance transformed into a global movement.

Key themes, such as humanism, art and architecture, Renaissance theatre and the invention of printing, are illustrated with quotations and exempla, making this book an invaluable source for students of the Renaissance, early modern history and social and cultural history.

Author Biography

Alison Brown is Emeritus Professor of Italian Renaissance History at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her work has focused on the history of Florence during the Medici and Savonarolan regimes and the revolution in political thinking and language at this time. Her most recent publications include The Return of Lucretius to Renaissance Florence (2010) and Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy (2020).