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Literature
Humanism influenced literature in the Renaissance times. The Renaissance brought about a renewed interest in the literature and art of ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient Greco-Roman learning was reborn at this time.The seeming rebirth of interest into classical literature began in Italy but eventually did spread to England where it was fostered by members of the monarchy such as Elizabeth I.

Literary works were rarely if ever created in isolation from other currents in the social and cultural world. The boundaries that divided the texts we now regard as aesthetic from other texts that participated in the spectacles of power or the murderous conflicts of rival religious factions or the rhetorical strategies of erotic and political courtship were porous and constantly shifting. It is perfectly acceptable, of course, for the purposes of reading to redraw these boundaries more decisively, treating Renaissance texts as if they were islands of the autonomous literary imagination.

Differences between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance times:

Medieval literature was mainly about religion, but Renaissance literature was mainly about human affairs.
Medieval writers wrote in the Latin language, even if they were not Italians, but Renaissance writers wrote in their own native languages.

There are some best known Renaissance writers:
a) Boccaccio, Giovanni
b) William Shakespeare

Boccaccio, Giovanni (1313-75)

He was an Italian writer and humanist. He was also one of the great authors of all time.
Boccaccio was the illegitimate son of aFlorentine merchant and a French noblewoman. Reared in Florence, he was sent to study accounting in Naples about 1323. He abandoned accounting for canon law and gave that up for classical and scientific studies. He took part in the life of the court of Robert d'Anjou, king of Naples.

Boccaccio's most important work is Il Decamerone (Ten Days' Work), which was begun in 1348 and completed in 1353; it was first translated into English, as The Decameron, in 1620. The Decameron is the first and finest prose masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. It is notable for the richness and variety of the tales, which alternate between tragedy and earthy humor, for the brilliance of the craftsmanship, and for its penetrating character analysis.

In this work Boccaccio gathered material from many sources:
The French fabliau, Greek and Latin classics, folklore, and observations of contemporary Italian life.

William Shakespeare(1556-1616)

He was the Son of Mr. John Shakespear, and was Born at Stratford upon Avon, in Warwickshire, in April 1564.

He had many famous works----Comedies:

                          "Comedy of Errors" 1592
                          "The Taming of the Shrew" 1592-94
                          "Love's Labor's Lost" 1594-95
                          "Two Gentlemen of Verona" 1594-95
                          "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 1595-96
                          "The Merchant of Venice" 1596-97
                          "Much Ado About Nothing" 1598-99
                          "As You Like It" 1599-1600
                          "Twelfth Night" 1599-1600
                          "Merry Wives of Windsor" 1601-02
                          "Troilus and Cressida" 1601-02
                          "All's Well That Ends Well" 1602-03
                          "Measure for Measure" 1604-05

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