Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe (9781316153239) by Nauert Charles G

Author:Nauert, Charles G.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr

5 Triumph and disaster

By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the programme of humanistic studies and the dream of a renewal of ‘civilized’ learning and literature and an end of ‘barbarism’ had established themselves to some extent in all the major countries of western and central Europe. But the new learning, often viewed with suspicion because of its Italian origins and its reverence for pagan literature, had by no means become dominant north of the Alps. Its marginal and subordinate position was accurately reflected in the life of the universities (see Chapter 4). There were some masters in every faculty of liberal arts who criticized traditional textbooks and aspired to modify the curriculum leading to arts degrees in order to de-emphasize logic and give greater attention to humanistic studies. These men were able to offer lectures on classical authors and private lessons in Greek from time to time. A genuine and spontaneous interest in the new learning was growing up, and even in such a notoriously conservative university as Cologne, many students managed to lay the foundation of a mastery of classical Latin and ancient literature, even of Greek, that enabled them to become prominent humanists in later decades. Most humanists were perfectly content to work quietly on the margin of university life, teaching the works of classical or modern humanistic authors, and eventually working their way into more important positions as heads of colleges or attaining far more important positions in one of the three higher faculties that dominated the institutions and offered virtually the only stable, salaried or beneficed professorships.

Demands for a new education

But from the first decade of the new century, some humanists were becoming more outspoken and voicing openly their desire for a fundamental change in the liberal-arts curriculum, seeking to de-emphasize logic and disputations and to give much greater attention to classical Latin grammar, rhetoric, moral philosophy, and the reading of ancient authors. This development brought open conflict into academic life, as tradition-minded senior faculty, who controlled all universities, resisted the pressure for change. One modern study of German universities has concluded that while these conditions produced many controversial tracts, virtually all of the controversy moved in one direction: there were many humanist tracts conducting an active polemic against conservative opposition to humanistic studies, but virtually no countervailing attacks by conservatives against humanism. On the other hand, the traditionalists had little reason to engage in polemics. The curricular requirements they favoured were already embedded in the statutes of the university. Furthermore, academic etiquette forbade public agitation, or even public discussion, of matters determined internally by the faculty; and every person who matriculated took an oath promising to obey the rector, deans, and other academic officers. Anyone who publicly criticized the institution would be perceived to have violated this oath and might be subject to fines, arrest, and in extreme cases expulsion. When humanists eventually did carry their criticisms and demands for educational reform outside the private world of the faculty and began exerting external pressure

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