The Renaissance was known as the period of rebirth and learning. Realism is the attempt to represent the subject matter as accurately as possible, without distorting elements of the subject matter. Realism was an important part of Renaissance literature. It was seen in almost every piece of literature. Renaissance literature reflected the lives of the common man. Pastoral poetry written during this period reflects the rural life of the people in England. Renaissance literature portrayed aspects of everyday life that was not often seen in previous works.