The Italian Renaissance in its Historical Background

by Denys Hay

Professor Hay provides a clear picture of what the Renaissance was, what it meant and how it spread. He shows the Renaissance as a growing and changing series of attitudes and ideas, rooted firmly in the general history of the period, and not as a static and isolated phenomenon. Most current ideas of the Italian Renaissance are derived from Burckhardt's Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, published in 1860. Professor Hay provides a completely fresh appraisal which goes back to the basic texts, to the great monuments of art and architecture, to the men - Boccaccio, Petrarch and the others - and their the essence of which historical movements are made. He has taken note of recent Italian scholarship and provides a fresh and readable account of one of the great epochs in European history. There is no other book in English, except the translation of Burckhardt, which embraces the political history of the Renaissance period as well as the history of art and ideas. The book will appeal to the general reader as well as to students of history and art. In this second edition, which has been revised and brought up to date by the author, a more ample treatment of the 'reception' of the Renaissance in England is given in the concluding chapter.

Genres: History, Italy, Renaissance, Academic, Art

Paperback

First published December 12, 1976

About the author

Denys Hay was a historian specializing in medieval and Renaissance Europe, and notable for demonstrating the influence of Italy on events in the rest of the continent. He taught at the University of Edinburgh from 1954, eventually becoming Professor of Medieval History until he retired in 1980, and is remembered with the "Denys Hay Seminar" there. His final posting was to the European University Institute in Florence, where he was Professor in the History Department.

Reviews

[Bob Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book offers a contrasting approach to the Italian Renaissance from the Hans Baron book that I just read, often referred to by Hay. Baron focuses on a very narrow time and place and pieces together a compelling argument. Hay steps back and tries to analyze a very broad time and place. It is a house of cards that while it may have some validity was far less rewarding to read. Perhaps someone who has studied in detail the history of Western Europe from 1300-1600 would find this more interesting.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though Hay presumes knowledge of many languages in many of his quotations, this book is superb. Many works that he considers influential classics, I had not heard of.

His thesis is that the Renaissance was the embrace of the active life, negotiium, without shame. That was a change from the medieval idea that the contemplative (otium), ascetic life was the highest.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historiographical debates that surround the Renaissance run far and wide, but I found this to be one of the more helpful and brief overviews of the Renaissance in Italy. It offers a fairly balanced and succinct introduction to many of the important cultural, social and political trends of period. The cover, though, is ridiculous.