Although the word renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth, this period actually began in Italy and then spread throughout Western Europe. This historical period is more correctly characterized as a revival or renewal of interests in the arts and in scientific inquiry, a return to the Greek and Roman classics, and to other ideas derived from the ancient Greco-Roman culture. In Western civilization, the Renaissance is the period of history between the Middle Ages and the Modern Age; from about the 14th century to the 16th century, A.D.
Many 20th and 21st century people like Steve Jobs, for example, might be someone others would refer to as a Renaissance man. It is less likely that characters such as Frank Lucas, though he was a creative entrepreneur, would be lumped in the same category, unless they put themselves there. Were it not for the popular movie, "American Gangster", many people probably would not even known the man's name. I didn't.
The popular film, 
Translated and collected classical work manuscripts, wrote extensive letters and essays on religious, philosophical, and political topics. He wrote an epic poem titled "Africa", about the 2nd Punic War.
Authored romances, epic poems and idylls, and together with his friend Petrarch they laid the groundwork for the philosophy or belief known as humanism.
Best known for his satire, Gargantua and Pantagruel - a satire some believed was aimed at the feudal and the ecclesiastical powers of the day; which is, on the surface, the adventures of two rude but comical giants, father and son. There are divided opinions about his works. Some say he wrote from a Christian perspective flavored with humanism while others declare him to be a radical atheist and anti-Christian.
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Comments
@WriterArtist - I thank my high school teachers for introducing me to the Renaissance. It was part of our Humanities studies.
Loved to read the origin of renaissance and the related literature and folks who echo the essence of renaissance. My admiration for renaissance stems from the costumes, I love the Victorian influence and the patterns of this glorious era.
@EmmaSRose - Thanks so much for commenting. So many free images all around the web. Not sure I remember where I found the dividers. Information on the Renaissance abounds. It's possible that could have been an actual conversation between two members of the underworld. But I just figured it was the script. At any rate, the line in the movie inspired me to write this page. Thanks for stopping by. :)
@suzette walker - Thank you so much for stopping by! I suspect we'll continue to bump into each other around the web. :)
cmoneyspinner: I love this site of yours. This is a great article on being a "Renaissance Man or Woman" I think you are a Renaissance Woman as your interests are so many. You have certainly picked some greats from the Renaissance that illustrate the Renaissance Man. I am familiar with them and their writings. Great article!
@frankbeswick - It's cmoneyspinner.
Tolovaj, have you read the book Witch, Wicce, Mother Goose. It is a good study of witch hunts. I have read it in English, but I know not whether it is available where you are. There is also the book Ecstasies, by Ginsberg, I think. This is also worth reading for your research.
By the way, Moneyspinner, I have nothing to do with Frank Lucas, I do not even know who he is.
@Tolovaj - I miss my library. We used to live in a neighborhood where the library was a five minute walk from our house. Made research a whole lot easier for me. We moved and the public library requires a drive. I'm going to figure out a way to work around this!
Thanks for popping in!
Nice job! I am just doing a research on witch hunts and it looks some things really never change, no matter if we are talking about 2nd, 12th or 22nd century. The same is probably with renaissance... Of course we can find few renaissance women too;)
@frankbeswick - OK. So I have my eyeglasses on right now and double checked and triple checked. I don't see the name Frank Lucas in your paragraph, so your comment is officially APPROVED! :)
Thanks for visiting and giving this article a thumbs up.