The Wisdom of the Renaissance

May 13, 2019
Kellogg (The Wisdom of the Middle Ages) lauds the intellectual and literary accomplishments of nine key Renaissance authors in a work that doesn’t pretend to provide any new scholarship, but does provide an illuminating and accessible synthesis of established knowledge. Moving from Petrarch through such writers as Erasmus, Rabelais, Montaigne, Cervantes, and Shakespeare, Kellogg shows how each contributed to a worldview that, leaning into classical thought, elevated the centrality of the human being and of reason. Each chapter follows a similar format: Kellogg introduces his theme, offers a brief biography of his subject, and then focuses on explaining that person’s significance. For example, Kellogg portrays Machiavelli as a man driven not by a rejection of Christian morality but by a desire to seize the moment and unite the Italian city-states under a strong ruler capable of expelling foreign invaders. Even in chapters, such as on Thomas More, that primarily summarize biography, Kellogg’s writing is so skillful as to leave one impressed. This clearly and cogently written book will be a valuable resource for readers whenever they have a question about Kellogg’s subject that runs deeper than what Wikipedia can supply.

July 26, 2019

Kellogg (The Greek Search for Wisdom; The Roman Search for Wisdom; The Wisdom of the Middle Ages) continues his survey of the intellectual history of the West, beginning with an overview of European history from the 14th to early 17th century. He then examines ten authors from that period who helped define the modern understanding of what it means to be fully human: Petrarch, Erasmus, Luther, Machiavelli, Thomas More, Castiglione, Rabelais, Montaigne, Cervantes, and Shakespeare. Each chapter opens with a biographical sketch, followed by a discussion of key writings. For Machiavelli, Kellogg explores The Prince and the Discourses on Livy. For More, the focus is on Utopia. The book concludes with a chronology and bibliography. One virtue of this volume is its placing of the various writings in historical context. For example, Machiavelli was responding to the collapse of the Florentine Republic and Italy's lack of unity, while More reacted to the increasing disparity between wealth and poverty and crime in England caused by land enclosure. Sections provide more summary than analysis but serve as ideal introductions. VERDICT Montaigne wrote that reading is "the best provision I have found for this human journey." Kellogg's book is well worth taking along.--Joseph Rosenblum, Univ. of North Carolina, Greensboro

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