What are the main features of the Renaissance ?

The French word renaissance means
"rebirth."  The Renaissance was a period in which artists and writers rejected the
restrictions of the Middle Ages in order to develop new ideals, enthusiasm, and
interests; most notably, there was a Revival of Learning, a new thirst for knowledge and
enjoyment in knowledge.  The results of this "rebirth" were a widespread study of art
and literature, as well as a delving into the mysteries of the natural
world.

The Renaissance did not so much result in a change
in subjects of study as it did in establishing a new viewpoint from which well-known
facts may be considered.  Humanism arose as did a devotion to Greek and Latin studies in
a perfect form, rejecting the "dog-Latin" of the Middle Ages. Painters sought to capture
real people rather than general types and individual personalities rather than universal
human traits. Extending to all parts of Europe, the Renaissance brought new arts such as
printing, new geographical discoveries, and cultivation of trade by
sea. 

In fact, the spirit of the Renaissance was above all
secular as the Renaissance scholar was more concerned with form than content--for
example, the correct use of words, the purification of style, the restoration of
classical languages.