Early Modern Era Research Paper

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The Early Modern Period, also known as the Renaissance or the Reformation, occurred between the years of 1500 and 1700. One might compare this time to spring, the season of new life. Life-altering events during this period brought different ideas and outlooks to the people. These 200 years saw the birth of so many new perspectives in literature, science, history, drama, religion, and human rights. At the beginning of the Early Modern Period, in 1500, Catholicism was the main religion. The Bible was used as a scientific resource and a person’s rank on the social ladder was determined at birth; however, by the end of the seventeenth century, things were very different. Christianity had splintered into different denominations and new scientific discoveries had been made, including the Copernican theory. Some of these discoveries questioned the Bible. The social ranking also changed. It began to be measured by monetary wealth instead of land; therefore, moving up a class was possible. This era also gave birth to the Humanist Renaissance, which carried the spirit of new ideas and new learning all across Northern…show more content…
Some writers chose to print their works while others chose to circulate them in manuscript. Printed works were required to go through government censoring which was usually based on the public’s reaction after the work was printed; however, if a work was offensive it was not taken lightly. “John Stubbs wrote a pamphlet, The Discoverie of a gaping Gulf where unto England is likely to be swallowed (1579), which attacked the queen’s projected marriage…and had his right hand severed as a result (Damrosch, Dettmar 647). Other expressions of literature present in this period were lyric poetry and prose romances, which were both typically circulated in manuscript and written only for a small group of

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