A Companion to the Worlds of the Renaissance: Blackwell Companions to European History

The contributions focus on three major themes: transformative encounters between cultures, ancient and new, high and low, within Europe and beyond; fascination with all things Italian; and social realignment. In examining these themes, the contributors look at the Renaissance from a world perspective, illuminating the negative as well as the positive, and integrating considerations of gender, sex, violence, and non-elite culture. The vision of the Renaissance that emerges is one defined by a wide range of social, political, economic, and cultural developments rather than by the actions of a small cultural elite.