20th Annual Student Research Conference
Fine Arts
The Political and Literary Origins of Renaissance Humanism: Dante, Petrarch and the Myth of Ancient Rome.
Douglas M. Eudy
Dr. Sara Orel, Faculty Mentor
The culture of Renaissance humanism had its origins in the centuries before the quattrocento. Both Dante and Petrarch wrote on ancient Rome’s peace and order; the works of both authors clearly illustrate that the Roman period was considered to be an unparalleled epoch in history. As a reaction to their own chaotic times, these authors reconnected to the ideas that they thought were responsible for Roman order and peace. From this work stems the program that would become Renaissance humanism; the initial impetus for this intellectual movement comes from these authors’ rejection of their own time for the imagined community that was the mythic ancient Rome.
Keywords: Petrarch, Dante, Renaissance Humanism
Topic(s):Art History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 20-4
Location: OP 2210
Time: 10:30 am