The Renassiance

We are coming to the close of the Renaissance and I still constantly misspell the word as a blog- which I think is fitting for the age. It is a movement and era in history which is hard to define and grasp in a simple singular dimension. Of all the eras we have studied in HUST ( and at this point due to my unusual HUST journey I have studied them all!) I find the Renaissance the most enigmatic. Enigmatic in the same sense its most famous portrait the Mona Lisa is- it appears simple enough at first but then we realize we are just skimming the surface and there is something mysterious hidden in the portrait that has never been achieved before

This is perhaps due to the fact that more than any other era in history it was extremely transitional. Perhaps it is because the Northern and Southern Renaissance are very different but share a common thread at their core. It was an which marked a decided shift into the modern era with the explosion of new ways of thinking and a reformation which would change the political and religious face of Europe permanently.

In the end I think we must judge a tree by its fruit. And the fruit of the Renaissance was magnificent art, clever dialogues, and books and books and books!

Who Doesn't Love Fairies and Knights?

The way I see it there is no way this The Fairy Queen can fail. It has all the classic ingredients for a timeless tale- knights, fairies, and every other mythical creature the western world has to offer ( well he did miss the vampire boat). There are so many levels to this work political, religious, and historical but it is also an enjoyable story filled with the same kinds of stories people have enjoyed for thousands of years. The poem has great depth but that shouldn't distract from the fact that the story is fun and worthy of enjoyment without all the intellectual analysis. Spencer goes to great depth to make the poem sound exciting and easy to stay interested. It is no summa theologica and to ignore the lighter and more fun side of the poem would be to miss something.

A New St. Thomas!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE St. Thomas Moore! As a Catholic Humanist he is one of my ultimate models. Combining an exemplary faith life with astounding intellectual acheivment. True there have been other famously intellectual saints ( I think one of them is named St. Thomas Aquinas, he is famous or something like that?) and there have been a long score of matyrs (Perpetua and Felicity remember them?) and even a few married ones...ok I can really only think of one at the moment( St. Monica- the mama of Augustine) BUT Thomas More is all of these things and as a result becomes a very rare kind of historical and religious figure. In a truly Renassiance fashion he is able to perfect mutltiple areas of life- spiritual, personal, political, intellectual- and blend them together seamlessly. He is also truly captures the spirit of the HUST program as he integrates his love of truth and knowledge into everything he does and approach everything problem with an integrated view of the world at large.

O- and he was a huge advocate of woman's education :)

The Father Land

The role of Germany in European history has struck me a lot this week. In my cultural history course on the modern era we are currently at the opening of World War II and discussing the ever evolving role of Germany in the political world of Europe. It seems as though the Germans enjoy creating revolutions which eventually spread throughout the continent and forever change the course of history.

Or course, Martin Luther created an entirely different kind of revolution than the third Reich. And of course, Nazism and Lutheranism produced far different changes. However, I think it does point to the influence over German thought and the power of the people to shake things up. I wonder if it is primarily due to Germany's location in the heart of Europe, which would make its role in European life inevitable. Of course, simply pointing to its geography would be unfair. There also must be something unique about the character of the German people. Hmmm....

The Web of The Humanities

One reason I love HUST is that it brings the richness of the material alive by allowing it to be fully contextualized and connected. I think this point is illustrated while reading Erasmus. The meaning of his text is greatly enhanced when I have an understanding of his little letter to his friend Thomas Moore( I hear he is kind of a big deal) and his relationship with Martin Luther (the 16th century reformer - not the civil rights activist). If I did not know the climate in which he was writing "The Praise of Folly" and his personal background the criticisms of the church and theologians would have gone right over my head ( at least more so than they already do).

However, I think it is even more significant the way in which contextualizing a work can add to a greater understanding of the time period and the broader theme which it is addressing. "The Praise of Folly" is great but it is most beneficial to me in so much as it adds to my understanding of Erasmus, the world he lives in, and the realities surrounding this period in Western Civilization. Without an interdisciplinary approach to material a great deal is lost and some might say it is ALL IN FOLLY

What Makes A Man?

I was thinking on Cellini- who both fascinates me and disgusts me for many reasons and I started wondering how he would hold up in modern society. True, he was a great warrior, possessed more than a normal amount of machismo, and could prove himself the equal of almost any man in almost every category of Renaissance life but there is much more to him. His greatest accomplishments, and those which ultimately stood the test of time was his art and writing.

Cellini was considered a model of manhood and was a model jeweler. How would that translate into modern society? It seems as though a lot of what made Cellini great and acclaimed in his own time would not earn him the status he achieved in his own day. He was the equivalent of an Italian rock star and he played the flute for the pope. P-diddy and Enrique Iglesias cannot play the flute- and I'm fairly certain if they did it would not be for the pope.

In a way its almost comical how so much of his greatness would be laughed at or trivialized in modern society but I still believe he would prove himself now. He conquered everything set before him and I doubt there is something in the modern world he would fail to succeed in.

Trophy Lady

Reading the description of what a woman in court should be made my skin crawl! I don't care very much for the ideal of a courtier but the lady was far worse. Almost her entire merit and virtue lies in her ability to be pleasing to others. Her virtues and goals are confined to her appearance and the way she makes other people feel. She must be charming, witty ( though not witty enough to cause offense of course), AND OF COURSE BEAUTIFUL!

She is required to have brains and knowledge but only so long as it lends itself to pleasing conversation. She is forbidden to ever use her intellect to create anything that would cause a stir or challenge another member of the party, or for that matter contain substance. The most infuriating part is that they spend pages and pages talking about how she should focus on her appearance and the image which she portrays but only about two sentences on how important it is for her to actually possess virtue.

She is suppose to appear chaste rather than be chaste, appear intelligent rather than be intelligent, and appear like she loves you company rather being a true friend. How is this desirable? How can any wise man or woman fail to recognize that one must focus on substance and truth rather than appearance and act to attain true happiness?

FAIL CASTIGLOINE- I cast you into the Renaissance trash can