Renaissance & Reformation Literature

There have been few cultural movements as mutually sustaining and as diametrically opposed as the Renaissance and the Reformation. Coming on the heels of the Medieval era, both constituted responses to the supremacy of the Church—the first to the Church's appeals to tradition over reason, the second to the Church's insistence on its own authority over that of Scripture. The Renaissance and the Reformation both needed each other, but found little ground for cooperation or agreement.

When we speak of the Church in this context we're speaking not of the universal Church that constitutes Christ's body, but of the Roman Catholic Church headquartered in Rome and for several centuries the broker of spiritual authority everywhere the Gospel had been preached. Philosophy took a sharp turn after Aquinas, and instead of simply accepting Church dogma as the starting place for all intellectual inquiry, thinkers adopted a more anthropocentric (man-centered) attitude.

Eventually this would look like Descartes positing himself as the chief referent for all perceived reality (and thereby laying the foundation for philosophical solipsism and existentialism), but for the Renaissance thinkers it meant rooting their ideas in the works of Classical authors like Aristotle and Plato, and using inquiry as the basis for intellectual progress. Many of them still professed allegiance to Christianity (many for political reasons), but their true allegiances lay elsewhere. Wisdom was no longer the basis for philosophy; Truth was, and since the Church couldn't necessarily be trusted as the source of truth, man would have to construct his own using only his mental capacities.

These attitudes would become much more realized during the Enlightenment, but everything Rousseau and his ilk thought up had been established by their Renaissance forebears. The appeals to reason didn't have entirely negative effects, however. Men of God began investigating the Scriptures for themselves (formerly the sole province of certain Church theologians), and realized the true authority for Christian belief and practice was Christ as mediated through His Word, not the papacy or Church hierarchy (which, moreover, had as much clout in the temporal realm as the spiritual).

In a series of acts that may have been taken from any dramatic novel, Martin Luther laid the groundwork for the Protestant Reformation. Not least of his efforts was to interpret Scripture by the rubric of salvation by faith alone, thus controverting the Church's claims as the locus of salvific work. Luther (a bona fide genius) was soon followed by others (also bona fide geniuses mostly), and the beginnings of the separation of Church and State were formed in the sense that there was a move away from State-sponsored churches toward independent institutions of worship and discipleship.

A state of conflict this extreme historically either kills literary output for a time, or fans the flames of creativity to conflagration status. The Renaissance and Reformation had the latter effect, and soon Europe was burning with some of the greatest works the world has ever seen. Writers were still concerned with imparting ideas (perhaps more than ever), but they were also more directly concerned with the construction of the language and the musicality of words.

Who were these craftsmen, you may ask? William Shakespeare. Edmund Spenser. Desiderius Erasmus. Christopher Marlowe. Get the picture? Even Martin Luther and John Calvin penned works of enduring literary and theological significance. It was a time of change, of adherence to excellence, of great intellectual fervor and activity. It was the age of Galileo and da Vinci and Michelangelo. It was a glorious age in Europe!

Like all ages of men, it didn't last. Yet the twin flames (or spectres, depending on your perspective) of the Renaissance and the Reformation continue to guide thought, literature and religious practice all over the world. Some of the greatest works of all time were written during this (chronologically rather vague) era, and any student of literature and ideas needs to immerse himself in the writings each movement produced if he is to call himself educated, or thinks he understands the current situation. Currently our selection is a bit Shakespeare-heavy, but we're working on that.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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All's Well That Ends Well
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Antony and Cleopatra
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.95
Antony and Cleopatra
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
As You Like It (No Fear Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare
Study Guide ed. from Sparknotes
for 9th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Bondage of the Will
by Martin Luther
from Revell Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Bondage of the Will
by Martin Luther, translated by J. I. Packer and O. R. Robinson
from Baker Academics
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$26.99
Bondage of the Will
by Martin Luther, translated by Henry Cole
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$12.95
Comedy Of Errors
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Comedies (drama) for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Complete Poems of Christopher Marlowe
Dover Thrift Editions
by Christopher Marlowe
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$2.50
Coriolanus
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Cymbeline
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Discarded Image
by C. S. Lewis
from Cambridge University
Medieval and Renaissance Lit Guide/Resource for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$19.99
Dr. Faustus
Dover Thrift Editions
by Christopher Marlowe
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.00
Elfin Knight
by Edmund Spenser & Toby Sumpter
from Canon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$20.00
Experiment in Criticism
by C. S. Lewis
Reissue from Cambridge University
Literature Guide/Resource for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$19.99
Faerie Queene Book 1
by Edmund Spenser, edited with an introduction by Carol V. Kaske
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$15.00
Faerie Queene Book 2
by Edmund Spenser
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$14.00
Faerie Queene Book 3 & 4
by Edmund Spenser
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$16.00
Faerie Queene Book 5
by Edmund Spenser
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$14.00
Faerie Queene Book 6
by Edmund Spenser
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$14.00
Faerie Queene Books 1-6
by Edmund Spenser
from Hackett Publishing Company
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$68.40
Fierce Wars and Faithful Loves
by Roy Maynard & Edmund Spenser
from Canon Press
Allegory/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$20.00 $9.00 (3 in stock)
First Voyage to America
by Christopher Columbus
from Dover Publications
Historical Primary Sources for 10th-Adult
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$9.95
Four Voyages
by Christopher Columbus
from Penguin Classics
Historical Primary Sources for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$17.00
Foxe's Book of Martyrs
by John Foxe
from Bridge-Logos
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$18.99
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$10.99
Hamlet
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th grade-adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry IV, Part 1
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry IV, Part 2
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry V
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare & Roma Gill, editor
from Oxford University
Historical Drama for 7th-10th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Henry V
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry VI Part 1
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry VI Part 2
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry VI Part 3
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Henry VIII
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
History of the Reformation in Scotland
by John Knox
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 10th-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$11.90
Institutes of Christian Religion (abridged)
by John Calvin
from Baker Books
for 10th-12th grade
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$20.40 $7.20 (1 in stock)
Institutes of the Christian Religion
by John Calvin, translated by Ford Lewis Battles, edited by John McNeill
from Westminster John Knox Press
Theology for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$90.00
Institutes of the Christian Religion Volume 1
by John Calvin, translated by Henry Beveridge
Revised from Canon Press
for Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$16.95
Institutes of the Christian Religion Volume 2
by John Calvin, translated by Henry Beveridge
Revised from Canon Press
for Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$16.95
Institutes of the Christian Religion Volume 4
by John Calvin, translated by Henry Beveridge
Revised from Canon Press
for Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$16.95
Jew of Malta
by Christopher Marlowe
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$2.00
Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza de Vaca
Dover editions
by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca
from Dover Publications
for 5th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$10.95
Julius Caesar
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare & Roma Gill, editor
from Oxford University
Historical Tragedy for 7th-10th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$5.95
Julius Caesar
Ignatius Critical Editions
by William Shakespeare, edited by Joseph Pearce
from Ignatius Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
King John
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
King Lear
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
King Lear
Dover Thrift Editions
by William Shakespeare
from Ignatius Press
Tragedy for Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
King Richard III
Cambridge School Shakespeare Series
by William Shakespeare
from Cambridge University
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
King Richard III
Cambridge School Shakespeare Series
by William Shakespeare
from Cambridge University
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$13.00
Learned Treatise of the Plague
by Theodore Beza, Modernized by Bennie Castle
from Canon Press
for Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$6.95
Life of Sir Thomas More
by William Roper
from CreateSpace
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$5.99
Log of Christopher Columbus
by Christopher Columbus, translated by Robert Fuson
1992 Printing from International Marine / McGraw-Hill
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Love's Labor's Lost
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Comedies (drama) for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Macbeth
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare & Roma Gill, editor
from Oxford University
Historical Tragedy for 7th-10th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$10.95
Macbeth
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 9th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings
by Martin Luther
from Anchor Books
Biography for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$20.00
Measure for Measure
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00
Merchant of Venice
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Merchant of Venice
by William Shakespeare
from Ignatius Press
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Merry Wives of Windsor
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Midsummer Night's Dream
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare & Roma Gill, editor
from Oxford University
Comedy for 7th-10th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$10.99
Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 10th grade-adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00
Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
1st edition from Barron's
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Midsummer Night's Dream
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Much Ado About Nothing
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
On Christian Liberty
by Martin Luther
from Fortress Press
Religion for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$11.99
Othello
by William Shakespeare
from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.95
Othello
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Our Faith: Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions
by CRC Publications
from CRC Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Creeds, Confessions & Catechisms (Location: XTH-CREED)
$10.00
Pericles
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Praise of Folly
Dover Thrift Editions
by Desiderius Erasmus
from Penguin Classics
Religious Satire for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$15.00
Prince, The
Penguin Classics
by Niccolò Machiavelli
from Penguin Classics
Political Philosophy for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$8.00
Prince, The
by Niccolò Machiavelli (translation by Harvey C. Mansfield)
from University of Chicago
Political Philosophy for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Richard II
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Richard III
Cambridge School Shakespeare Series
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
Historical Drama for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$4.00
Richard III
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
Updated from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
from Oxford University
Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.95
Romeo and Juliet
Dover Thrift Editions
by William Shakespeare
from Ignatius Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Othello
by Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare
from Riverhead Books
for 10th-Adult
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Study Guide to Calvin's Institutes
by Douglas Wilson
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$20.40
Tamburlaine
by Christopher Marlowe
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
Taming of the Shrew
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Comedies (drama) for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Tempest
by William Shakespeare
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00
Tempest
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
for 9th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Tempest
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare
Study Guide ed. from Sparknotes
for 9th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Timon of Athens
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Titus Andronicus
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Troilus and Cressida
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Troilus and Cressida
The Pelican Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
from Penguin Putnam
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$10.00
Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare
from Barron's
Comedy for 8th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$6.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Twelfth Night
Oxford School Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare, edited by Roma Gill
from Oxford University
Comedy for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.95
Twelfth Night
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
Twelfth Night (No Fear Shakespeare)
by William Shakespeare
Study Guide ed. from Sparknotes
for 9th-12th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$3.00 (3 in stock)
Two Gentlemen of Verona
Folger Shakespeare Library
by William Shakespeare
from Washington Square Press
Comedies (drama) for 10th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation Literature (Location: LIT3-REN)
$9.99
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