Before enlightenment : play and illusion in Renaissance humanism / by Timothy Kircher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kircher, Timothy, author.

Series:

Brill's studies in intellectual history ; v. 326.

Brill's studies in intellectual history, 0920-8607 ; volume 326

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

European literature--Renaissance, 1450-1600--History and criticism.

European literature.

Humanism in literature.

Humanists--Europe--History--16th century.

Humanists.

European literature--Renaissance.

History.

Europe.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

History.

Physical Description:

viii, 293 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2021]

Summary:

"In Before Enlightenment: Play and Illusion in Renaissance Humanism, Timothy Kircher argues for new ways of appreciating Renaissance humanist philosophy. Literary qualities - tone, voice, persona, style, imagery - composed a core of their philosophizing, so that play and illusion, as well as rational certainty, formed pre-Enlightenment ideas about knowledge, ethics, and metaphysics. Before Enlightenment takes issue with the long-standing view of humanism's philosophical mediocrity. It shows new features of Renaissance culture that help explain the origins not only of Enlightenment rationalists, but also of early modern novelists and essayists. If humanist writings promoted objective knowledge based on reason's supremacy over emotion, they also showed awareness of one's place and play in the world. The animal rationale is also the homo ludens"-- Provided by publisher.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Kircher, Timothy, Before enlightenment

ISBN:

9789004442696

9004442693

OCLC:

1178903639