Theorizing pleasure in the Renaissance

Abstract

Burckhardt's image of the Italian Renaissance as a period of individuality receives a degree of confirmation from the interest in and manipulation of Epicurean philosophy; itself an aspect of individualism. However pleasure was often viewed as a problem to be resolved by syncretism, suppression of particular elements, or by challenging accepted norms. In some circles it became vital to Christianize pleasure in order to demonstrate that the two modes of thought were not irreconcilable. In others, particularly courtly ones, pleasure needed justification for its own sake. Perhaps one of the lesser-known contributions of early sixteenth-century society was to make some people feel less guilty about pleasure.