In parallel with the process of state consolidation there was the formation of a single literary English language and the formation of national culture, open to all-European trends, which received a kind of refraction on the English soil.
An important role in the formation of a new Renaissance culture was played by Oxford University, where a circle of intellectuals, who were influenced by Italian humanism and professed the ideas of Platonism. It included T. Linear, W. Groin, W. Lily — connoisseurs of ancient languages, and John Colette — a prominent theologian and theorist of pedagogy. A full member of the Oxford Circle was Erasmus of Rotterdam, who acknowledged that it was in England that his “philosophy of Christ” began to take shape.
The greatest English thinker of the first half of the 16th century was Thomas More (1478-1535). His ethical doctrine was based on the concept of Christian virtue, filled with new, humanistic content. Moore believed that virtue and love require active citizenship and public service, rather than contemplative inaction. His main work was “The Golden Book, as useful as it is funny, about the best structure of the state and the new island of Utopia” (1516), which gave rise to a literary genre called “utopia”. In it, the author sharply criticized the social order of modern England and painted a picture of the ideal social order based on the abolition of private property. In “Utopia” Moore tried through the synthesis of ancient political theories and modern experience to comprehend the nature of the state and its institutions, the functions of religion.
The spread of the Renaissance culture in England was promoted by the court of the first Tudors. Under Henry VII and Henry VIII, Italian artists, sculptors and architects were invited to England, and Poetry Torrijano, who performed Henry VII”s tombstone, was the presenter among them. Large-scale construction took place under Henry VIII, who owned the largest palace complex in Europe — Whitehall, as well as the Hampton Court country palace. Despite the penetration of Renaissance features in English architecture at the time, it maintained a strong connection with the traditions of the local “perpendicular Gothic”. Literature and art flourished at Henry VIII”s court, which was dubbed the “temple of muses” by Erasmus of Rotterdam. The court”s favorite entertainment was theatrical performances and tournaments, which played up the idea of knightly devotion to the monarch and the prosperity of England under his rule. Henry VIII”s court painter Hans Holbein Jr.
The real blossom of literature and art in England reached the second half of the XVI century, which is often referred to as “the golden age of Elizabeth”. A prominent poet and theorist of literature of this time was F. Sydney. In the treatise “Protection of Poetry”, arguing with the puritans who attacked the “frivolous” literature and “corrupting” art, Sydney justified the high purpose of poetry and its role in the education of a morally perfect person.
The most important role in the formation of national consciousness was played by R. Hakluyt”s work “Basic voyages, travels and discoveries of the English nation” — a collection of reports of sailors and travelers.
Historical works were very popular: “Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland” by R. Polished; works by W. Camden, founder of the scientific circle of “antiques” — the collectors of ancient documents and antiquities; “Description of London” by J. Stowe. In the Elizabethan era, the formation of public professional theater takes place, acting troupes have their own premises, such as “Theater”, “Curtis”, “Globe”, “Swan” in London, etc. One of the greatest playwrights of the 16th century was Christopher Mario, who created a gallery of images of titanic personalities, in his unrestrained desire for power and glory shaken off the shackles of traditional morality, which eventually leads to the death of the heroes themselves (“Tamerlane the Great”, “The tragic story of Dr. Faust”).
The problem of personality and the limits of its freedom worried William Shakespeare (1564-1616). His plays are deep thoughts about the essence of human nature, the nature of good and evil. Shakespeare saw the origins of his characters” tragedies in the internal contradictions and weaknesses of the human soul, which allow passions to prevail over the mind. Passions are the key to inner harmony and happiness.
No less popular with contemporaries Ben Johnson, the author of household realistic comedies.
The portrait still dominated the painting. An outstanding portraitist was N. Billiard. His miniatures, full of allegory and symbolism, created an idealized image of Elizabeth I, repeatedly replicated by other artists. Portraits of his student Isaac Oliver differed more realism than that of Milliard.
The progress of experienced knowledge and the idea of unified laws, according to which nature and human society develop, are reflected in the new philosophical theories, in which the individual human personality ceases to be the main object of interest and takes the place of only one of the components in the “general chain of universe”. This trend was clearly reflected in the work of Francis Bacon (1561-1626). His reflections on society, morality, politics and religion took the form of literary and philosophical essays — “Experiences and instructions moral and political” (1597). Along with Bacon”s ethics, there was a growing interest in social and political issues: the functions of the state, religion, and economics. In the Utopian novel “New Atlantis”, the general welfare is based not on social transformations, but on the achievements of scientific and technological progress. Describing wonderful inventions, Bacon predicted many discoveries of the distant future: the use of solar energy, selection, preservation of organs for the treatment of people, etc.
Bacon developed a new theory of scientific cognition, putting forward the idea of an inductive empirical method, which implied the movement from the private to the general, from observations to experiment, then rational analysis and scientific generalizations. Bacon”s teaching about the empirical method had a huge impact on the later European philosophy.