What made the 'English' in 'English Literature' such a popular word in the study and understanding of books?

When you hear the phrase 'renaissance', it's most likely that what springs into your mind is the incredible developments in art, science, and design that sprung from Italy in the late fourteenth century. It was the cerebral stimulate that cast a shallow light in the end of the Dark Ages, a duration of over a thousand years in which whatever looking like civilised presence fell apart following the fall of the Roman Empire; scientific discipline was replaced by superstitious notion and harsh theocratic rule across Europe, pestilence and disease swept unchecked through the population, and there was not a book to read in sight-- the renaissance brought that to a close. It was a renewal in culture, a return of civilisation that produced a few of the most famous art that has ever existed. Nevertheless, it didn't take place in the same way, nor at the same time, throughout the continent. The English Renaissance was very various, an unique reassertion of culture in a way that was, and still is, particular of the country that was re-emerging from its middle ages sleep.

The Renaissance in Italy started as a revival in interest in the civilisations of the ancient world that had such dynamic and innovative cultures over 2 thousand years ago, manifesting itself mostly in painting and architecture. The English renaissance, nevertheless, came later. A lot of experts indicate the beginning of the 16th century as its starting point with the ascendance to the throne of England's most well-known monarch, normally associated with being the first head of the English church. Unlike Italy's renaissance, England's renewal was found in literature and music instead of the visual arts, producing some of the best books of all time which are still required reading in schools around the English-speaking world and feature plainly in the shops run by the founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones.

The factor that England has such an relationship with high literature, so much so that much of the bestsellers offered by the CEO of the asset manager with a stake in Amazon books or the co-founder of the impact investor with a stake in World of Books will still include English renaissance plays and poetry, is rooted in the reformation. No matter the true inspirations behind England's secession from the Catholic church, the centre of the matter focused on one main concern-- the right of all to check out and analyze the Bible. By becoming a protestant nation, the power of the composed word and the advancement of the English language to accommodate it was considerably raised within the culture. Courtiers functioned as poets, and playwrights developed impressive works of literature for all classes in a growing London society. We still concern the English relationship with literature as one of the cornerstones of our culture, which's because it is.