This book examines the revival of antique philosophy in the Renaissance as a literary preoccupation informed by wit. Humanists were more inspired by the fictionalized characters of certain wise fools, including Diogenes the Cynic, Socrates, Aesop, Democritus, and Heraclitus, than by codified systems of thought. Rich in detail, this study offers a systematic treatment of wide-ranging Renaissance imagery and metaphors and presents a detailed iconography of certain classical philosophers. Ultimately, the problems of Renaissance humanism are revealed to reflect the concerns of humanists in the twenty-first century.

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About the author

John L. Lepage is University-College Professor in the Department of English at Vancouver Island University.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: The Revival of Antique Philosophy in the Renaissance
Authors: John L. Lepage
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137316660
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Palgrave Literature Collection, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2012
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-28181-4Published: 05 December 2012
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-44832-6Published: 08 November 2015
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-31666-0Published: 05 December 2012
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 281
Topics: Literary Theory, Aesthetics, Early Modern/Renaissance Literature, European Literature, Cultural Theory

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

Front Matter

Introduction: Containers

A Progress of Wise Fools

Laughing and Weeping Melancholy: Democritus and Heraclitus as Emblems

Divine Madness, Literary Fancy, and Dreams

The Mind Is Its Own Place

Back Matter

About this book