A Cultural History of Fame in the Renaissance
Arnoud Visser et al.
How did fame operate in the past? Who attained renown and what purpose did it serve for those who granted it? These questions are central to , edited by Arnoud Visser and featuring contributions from , , , and others.
Renaissance fame
A Cultural History of Fame in the Renaissance covers the period from 1450 to 1650, a time when increasing global interaction transformed Europe’s view of its position in the world. The printing press revolutionised communication culture, spurring the dissemination of both notoriety and renown. The continent was almost torn apart by religious conflict, wars which weaponised the holy reputations of saints and martyrs.
At the same time, advances in technology and natural philosophy – often publicly performed by inventors and theorists – attracted attention and acclaim, and humanist scholars and artists promoted fame as an honourable ambition. Actively mobilised to empower and disenfranchise, fame in the Renaissance was remade and accelerated.
Book series A Cultural History of Fame
This volume is part of the diachronic A Cultural History of Fame series, which explores the meaning of fame and celebrity from antiquity to today. It covers themes such as communication, the arts, philosophy, politics, religion, visibility, scandal, and the science of fame as well as the construction and presentation of heroes.