1. CHAPTER 7.2 CLASS NOTES NEW IDEAS AND LITERATURE

2. I.Renaissance Humanism A.Humanism was a way of understanding the world that was based on the values of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Humanism sought a balance between religion and reason. B. Italians began studying Greek and Roman works in the 1300’s. During the Crusades, Western Europeans were exposed to Greek and Roman culture that had been preserved by the Arab scholars. Italians studied ancient books, statues, and buildings.

3. C. Francesco Petrarch was a famous scholar of ancient works. He encouraged Europeans to search for Latin manuscripts in monasteries. New libraries were built to house the manuscripts, including the Vatican Library in Rome.

4. D. Leonardo da Vinci was a great scientist, artist, inventor, and engineer. Leonardo imagined machines long before they were invented, such as the glider and the helicopter. E. Interest in other topics flourished as well. People studied plants, anatomy, and medicine, as well as astronomy and mathematics.

5. F. Humanist studied the ancient Greek geographers and the great Arab geographer al-Idrisi to produce better charts and maps of the known world.

6. II. Changes in Literature A.Writers during the Renaissance began writing in the vernacular, the everyday language of the people. Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy, one of the world’s greatest poems, in the vernacular. In England, the poet Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in English.

7. B. Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press that used movable type. The press could print books quickly, so more books became available. Gutenberg’s Bible was the first European book printed on the press. The printing press helped spread new ideas.

8. C. In England, the Renaissance created great works of theater and literature. William Shakespeare was the greatest English writer of the Renaissance. He wrote tragedies, comedies, and historical plays. D. Cervantes was a Spanish author who wrote Don Quixote de la Mancha. Shakespeare Don Quixote