Introduction to the Literature of Europe in the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Centuries, Vol. 2

This work surveys the evolution of European letters from the medieval contraction of classical learning through the revival of humanist studies, describing medieval scholasticism, the rise of universities and vernacular literatures, and changing poetic forms. It examines language development and metrics, legal and theological scholarship, and the fluctuating quality of classical taste. It follows the rediscovery of Greek texts, the migration of scholars, and the growing prestige of antiquity that fed humanist criticism and literary production. It considers the technical innovations of printing and paper together with advances in science, law, and bibliography. It concludes by outlining shifts in religious thought, dramatic forms, and the diffusion of books and libraries.