Read the Preface Actions and “The Birth of the Humanities in the Renaissance Actions.
Write a paragraph (minimum 150 words, excluding quotation) explaining in your own words what you
understand Proctor to mean when he says (p. 13) that the humanities as understood in the Renaissance had
“three distinguishing characteristics: a) the concept of a unique, autonomous, personal self, to be shaped
through b) the study of the language and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, c) according to the
perspectives of a group of primarily literary academic disciplines.” Make sure you address all three parts of this
definition in your answer. Explain, too, how Bruni’s concept of the Humanities — or studia humanitatis as he
called them — was similar to, but different from Cicero’s understanding of the studia humanitatis
Sample Solution
