Humanities Renaissance

Humanities Renaissance

Comparison of Erasmus' The Praise of Folly (1509) and Milton's Paradise Lost (1667)

The Praise of Folly is one of the most important books of Renaissance Humanism and one of the most perfect expressions of the sentiments and philosophy of its author, Desiderius Erasmus. Its historical importance cannot be overestimated. The critic A.H.T. Levi also explained this fact in detail. The Praise of Folly was written in 1509 to amuse Sir Thomas More, Erasmus's close friend and intellectual counterpart. Erasmus wrote in the preface to the work that he was reflecting upon the closeness of the Greek word for folly, Moria, and More's own last name. He claimed it was written in a week but there were clearly revisions made before its 1511 publication and a large section was added to it after the first edition. The tensions brought about by the Protestant Reformation led to Erasmus's reputation declining because he would not fully throw his support behind the Catholic Church. Just over two decades after his death, the Praise of Folly was placed on the Roman Index of prohibited books and banned in Franche-Comté, Spain, Rome, and by the Council of Trent. His name remained on the Roman Index until 1930, when it was finally removed. Erasmus's reputation began recovering during the Enlightenment. Today his works are widely read and considered part of the Western canon (Aikema, 2000, 31).

On the other hand, in 1667 John Milton wrote a historical poem known as Paradise Lost. It can be differentiated from other literatures because of its strong story such as the Iliad and the Divine Comedy. This also seems to cross all over them in prose, rhyme and subject. Rather than making an attempt to provide explanation for just human aspects of hubris or conversion, Milton addressed the principal foundation of the fallen nature and made an attempt to justify the ways of God to man. Although this book is normally read by students in classical literature courses, its influence is as high with the likes of Shakespeare. Great writers and poets such as William Blake, Samuel Coleridge, John Keats, and Lord Tennyson all gained motivation from his work. The title of this trilogy can be found twice in Paradise Lost as well as the title for the first book, The Golden Compass. The premise of Pullman's trilogy is what might have happened had Satan been triumphant. Therefore, this is the overall comparison of stories known as Erasmus' The Praise of Folly (1509) and Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) (Farago, 1995, 33).

Comparison of Castiglione's The Book of The Courtier (1528), and Machiavelli's The Prince (1513)

Baldesar Castiglione's The Book of The Courtier (1528), one of the most celebrated renaissance courtesy books, serves as a guide to perfect social manners and wit. Politically it seeks to define the position of a courtier in relation to the Prince he serves. In an attempt to offer a pragmatic understanding of courtly life and manners and the binary of power relation between the ...