During the Renaissance, ideas of humanism and philosophy circulated throughout society, placing importance on human potential and expressing the value of current life rather than seeking happiness in the afterlife. In the 15th and 16th centuries, humanism was a progressive intellectual movement that spread across Europe. The movement emphasized intellectual advancement.
The Emergence of the Novel
The invention of the printing press resulted in the spread of religious texts but soon produced texts of reformation, romance novels, informative pamphlets, traveling guides, poetry, histories, etc. This was the beginning of the Renaissance period, which is often referred to as a period of rebirth of classical ideas and art. During this period more people read than ever before, ideas were spread all across Europe, and scholars began critiquing others’ work.
Religious works of literature were in high demand before the printing press was invented; therefore, after its invention, religious texts dominated the market. During the Medieval period, Christians used a Latin Bible and during this time period, there was a shift from Latin to English-translated Bibles, which allowed the book to be more widely read.
Between 1400 and 1600 a number of different types of texts were published, from pamphlets (called folios) to plays and poetry. Novels were first published during the Renaissance in France to compete with the Latin books being published. French book publishers called for more books published in French and drew on many Medieval texts for their readership.
“‘These book printers created a certain number of broad characteristics that would lead to the delimitation of a general category – the chivalric novel – based on distinct medieval literary forms”, says Burg. Her work involved analysing the changes in a corpus of five works, stretching from the first handwritten editions to those printed in the French publishing hubs of the 16th century. In total, some one hundred works became part of a re-emergent literature. Books describing knighthood reached their peak around 1540, but despite their subsequent decline, they were reborn as part of the foundations of the genre of the romantic novel.”
Brocard, Martine. “How Renaissance Publishers Invented the Novel.” Horizons, 9 Aug. 2018,.
Many believe the Japanese Epic, The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting in the 11th-century imperial court, to be the first novel ever written. It is a fictional story that follows the main character, Hikaru Genji, and his many romances. Check out the 2019 Tale of Genji exhibition at the MET.
“File:玉鬘図 （『源氏物語』画帖の内）-“The Jeweled Chaplet” (“Tamakazura”), from The Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari) MET DP361161.jpg” by Tosa Mitsuyoshi is marked with CC0 1.0.
Italian Renaissance
Italy, Germany, and France played major roles in the construction of the printed book during the Renaissance. Italy produced more than 12,000 printed works in the 15th century and 65,000 during the 16th century, leading the age of print. Italian book merchants established links with other agents across Europe, which not only spread different cultures and ideas but also enabled the growth of printing and the book trade. During this time, many printers, booksellers, and publishers did not belong to a guild, meaning their business was unhindered by corporate regulations and received direct economic returns from their sales.