Language and culture
At the beginning of Tudor period English was still spoken in
different ways. In the mid-fourteenth century London English, a
mixture of south Midland and southeastern English, had become
accepted as the standard one. London English was considered
“correct”, used in printing ad was studied by pupils and
students. The way people speak stated to show their position. The
educated and rich used “correct” English, the poor – local
variants. Language betrayed the upbringing of the person.
Literacy increased a lot – by the end of the
17th
century more than half of the population could read and write.
The Renaissance influenced England a lot, however
later than Europe as England was an island. In the early 16th
century English thinkers became interested in the works of the Dutch
philosopher Erasmus. One of them, Thomas More wrote “Utopia” –
a book about ideal society. The Renaissance also influenced religion
and music, painting as well (English painters created a special type
of painting – miniature portrait).
Literature was represented by great play-writers:
Christopher Marlow, Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare. Their plays
were popular among everyone, but they often changed facts of history
according to the spirits of the locals.
“Soldier poets” (brave in war but educated)
showed the adventurous spirit of the age: Edmund Spencer, Philip
Sydney.
