Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DR. NIK-KHOO
BAHMAN 1385
M.K IMANI
th
and
7 century)
Medieval Period 1066-1450/1485/1500 The Renaissance 1450/1485/1500- 1660 Neo-Classical 1660 1798 Restoration Augustan Age of sensibility
th
The Romantic Period 1789 1832 Victorian 1832-1901 Modern 1901- 1939/1945 Post Modern 1939/ 1945 Present _____________________________________________________________________ Celts were the first people who lived in England. Then Romans occupied England. After that Anglo-Saxons (Angels, Saxons and Jutes) came to England and Celts went to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall.
Romans Romans
Celts Wales
Anglo-Saxons
Angles Saxons Jutes
Celts
1. They were two tribes of Gaels and Britons 2. They entered England in 6th century BC 3. Their religion was Druidism 4. They had Mediterranean culture. 5. They Believed in Hierarchy of Gods and made human sacrifices 6. They believed in trans-migration of souls. 7. They had different classes of society 8. They came from Austria and Switzerland 9. They were converted into Christianity by Romans 10. They had oral literature.
They had poets called scops who worked for kings in order to immortalize their lord. Their work was panegyric Their poetry was alliterative (head rhymed). Example: Grendel came creeping, accursed of God In a summer season when soft was the sun In a fair field full of folk.
Elegy
A sad poem for death of a person. In old English literature it means a lyric poem of complaint and lamentation. Deors lament (First elegy) It was from a poet who was ignored by his lord because another poet had showed up and won his heart. Wulf and Eadwacer A woman who is lamenting absence of her vanished lover. The wifes lament About a woman who is complaining because her husband is on a journey. The Husbands Message The husband writes on a piece of wood that he will go back to her arms. The Ruin The Seafearer The Wanderer
1. 2. 3. 4.
King Alfred (Alfred the Great, 848- 899, became king in 871)
He was the best writer of old English prose. He was the king of Wessex and made it the cultural capital of England. He defeated Vikings and singed a contract with them. He defeated the Danes and in 878 recaptured London. His most important work is called the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (the most important history of old English Literature). Some poets borrowed parts of his book (Shakespeare). He translated Ecclesiastical History of English into English. His other important work are:
1. Translating Concerning the Consolation of Philosophy by Boethias. 2. Historia Universalias 3. The Battle of Molden (Danish Attack).
Medieval English Literature Started in 1066 when Normans (French tribe from Normandy) attacked England in the Battle of Hastings.
Layamon William Langland: Was a poet born in 1332 to 1400. His work is Piers Plowman, an allegory in alliterative verse. A great religious and satirical poem. A dream vision of Jesus In a summer season when soft was the sun In a fair field full of folk Found there I between The narrator falls sleep and sees the Dungeon of Wrong. He sees the Tower of Truth on a mountain (because it is an allegory). Then he explains different class of people in his dream. Then he sees a lady called the Holly Church. The lady criticizes him for sleeping. He asks what he should do and the lady tells him to go after Saint Truth. Then he says how and the lady says he needs a guide (Piers Plowman). Not much is know about Langland. Medieval Literature was didactic.
King Arthur:
A legendary king. There are many Romance verses about king Arthur. He lived in 6th century. He was a saint and fought with Anglo-Saxons. There are Romances and narrative poems about King Arthur. Some stories form other cultures such as French or German has been added to this legend. He went to a war, but his nephew Mordred took over the kingdom and he was killed in a war with him. When King Arthur died, they put his body on a boat full of wood and then set fire to it and sent it to the lake. His soul went to Celtic Paradise Avalon. He gave his sword to someone and asked him to give it back to the Lady of the Lake. The man hesitated twice but at last did so.
Romance
An early novel. An adventurous story in prose or verse with the theme of quest (for the Holy Grail which is a cup from which Christ drunk in the last supper) and love.
Medieval Period: Miracle and mystery plays: Priests started to act stories of bible and lives of saints and martyrs were played. However, Pope ordered them to stop it. Morality Play: An allegory which deals with abstractions. The examples are Everyman, and The Castle of Perseverance. They acted on a wagon called a pageant (portable stage). They acted in market places. In between acts there were some comic interludes.
Waiting for Godot), John Osborn (Angry young man, Look Back in Anger), Harold Pinter (Birthday Perly), Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead) Arneld Wesker (Kitchen Sink Drama). The father of American drama is Eugene ONeill Arthur Miller: Death of a Salesman Tennessee Williams= The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire. Edward Albee= Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Everyman
A morality play = An allegory with the theme of quest for salvation in which the characters are abstractions. The theme of everyman is quest for salvation. It has been taken from a Buddhist parable and translated from a Danish work. Story of Mr. Everyman who is summoned by death. He asks some abstract entities such as Truth, Beauty, etc, to accompany him. The only person which accompanies him is Good Deeds. Clearly, Everyman is didactic and teaches morality. It has several soliloquy (thinking aloud monologues), in the story. This life being preparation for after life is the theme of it. _____________________________________________________________________ 8
5th cent
Roman Church
1066
15th cent
Medieval literature
5th
1453
Constantinpole before Constantine was called Byzantium. In 1453, it was eradicated by Ottomans (Muslims). Rome remained the ideological centre up to 15th century and even now. Popes decisions are still important. Some of the works of western culture was translated by Arabs. The writers from Constantinople went to Italy. They took books from Muslims. They started translating works of Aristotle, Bible which marked the start of Translation Movement. So the golden days were revived (Renaissance: Revival of classical thinking).Some of the important figures of the Renaissance are: Dantes Petrarch Marcle Anglio In Renaissance an outburst happened in art, painting, sculpturing, etc. This movement was strengthened by religious reforms and the invention of printing machine in 1450s by Gutenberg (Germany). The first printer in England was called William.
Religious Reformation: 1- In Germany a man called Martin Luther started a new version of religion called Protestantism = protest against authority of Pope. Protestantism is a form of religious individualism because it means you can interpret religion on your own. It means you dont need intervention of priests and church to communicate with God. It happened through translation of Bible. So this was one branch of religious reform. 2- Another branch happened in England under the ruling of Henry VIII. The then king wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine, because she didnt bring him a son. So Henry VIII wrote a book against Luther and Pope was pleased with him. But his same defender revolted against Pope. He broke with him church of Rome and set up Anglican Church and became head of English church. Pope was angry and excommunicated with him but it was useless. His church was independent. 3- In other parts of Europe people like Copernic, made religious reforms. Europe changed its ideology from this life for after life to life precious per say (this life is worth living). 4- Another religious reformer of Renaissance is Sir Thomas More (1478-1538), the writer of Utopia. His refusal of act of supremacy lead to his beheading by King Henry VIII. He was a friend of Erasmus, and the first English humanist. The Praise of Folly is the work of Erasmus. In this book people who praise the church are criticised. He is considered a Martyr. His masterpiece is Utopia which is a political essay romance in two books which describes an image of a communistic society, where private property does not exist and almost complete religious toleration is practiced. Book 1: Portrays an ideal world which is contrasted with the corruption, war, poverty and immorality of Europe. Book 2: Explains in detail the ideal society. The government is the representative of people. Men and women are educated, etc. Utopia is a rational world, governed by humanistic principles. There is religious toleration. Streets are 20 feet wide. House have gardens. He is against organized war. Gold is hated and only slaves and prisoners carry gold. It is a satire. It is a communistic democracy. Another important featuer of Renaissance is humanism = Human is precious, the life in this world is also precious, and this is related to changes in cosmology because it was discussed that the sun was stationery and this was the violation of Bible. So the cosmology of Ptolemus and Bible were weakened.
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The starter of it was Erasmus in Holland. The first English Humanist is Sir Thomas Moor. So in Renaissance all the following changes occurred: Individualism, Materialism, Humanism, Copernican Revolution, Martin Luthers Protestantism, Henry VIII Anglican Church, and weakening of priests which reduced the authority of Pope. Another Important event was the growth of commerce which was related to slavery.
EUROPE
Goods Sugar
AFRICA Slaves
Europe acquired abundance of wealth which resulted in banking systems. So another feature of Renaissance is Colonisation. Lust for life, Lust for Knowledge and Lust for power = Themes of Marlows works. Vernaculars (native languages) were strengthened and Latin was weakened. Books were translated into vernacular. In England much of Renaissance coincided with Monarch of Queen Elizabeth. So Renaissance is synonymous with Elizabethan period, because in the Elizabethan period, there was peach and order and England became the supreme power by defeating the Spanish Armada (Spanish armed ships) in 1558. Spain had the biggest navy in the world and they wanted to convert British into Christians. They were defeated. In Renaissance, English Language was elevated and strengthened to a higher position. Theatres were built. Renaissance is the golden age of British drama. Shakespeare, Marlow, Ben Johnson and Webster wrote in that period. Renaissance was the period of outburst of drama, and the outburst of lyric poetry specially sonnet. Sonnet was imported from Italy. Sir Tomas Wyatt (1503-1542) translated the works of Petrarch who was in love with Laura and wrote fourteen line poems in iambic pentameter for her. The first sonneteers are Wyatt and H. Howard. Wyatts major works are Farewell Love (a debate between reason and love) and the Flee from Me. He was a writer, poet, ambassador and courtier. He introduced terza rima into English literature.
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Book two is about Temperance Book three is about Chastity Book four is about Friendship Book five is about Justice Book six is about Curtsey This work is an allegory on 3 levels. 1. It is a moral allegory: virtues versus vices 2. A religious allegory: church versus atheism and paganism. 3. It is a political, historical allegory (allusions to execution of Queen Mary, etc.) In book one, the Knight of Holiness (the Red Cross knight) is assigned a mission of protecting Una and free her parents from a dragon. But he falls in trouble and King Arthur frees him. It is individual Christianity vs. false Christianity. Book two is about Guyon who is the Knight of Temperance (golden mean). Book three is about Britomart, a female Knight of Chastity. She is looking for her future husband. Book four is about Friendship (very important in Renaissance period). Book five is about Sir Artegal, the Knight of Justice, who should destroy Grantorto and rescue Arina. It is about Queen Elizabeth. Book six is about Sir Calidor, the Knight of Curtsey. He should capture the Blatant Beast (the ignorant slanderous, clamour of mob). His next work is Shepherds Calendar, a poem with archaic language. A pastoral poem with political allegory dedicated to Sidney. It is written in 12 books and it is about unsatisfied love of Colin Clout for Roselyn. Each part is called an eclogue and named after one month in the year. He also wrote Amoretti (little love). It is a sonnet sequence (a poem made up of sonnets). It has 89 sonnets and a wedding song, Epithalamion. It is about Spencers courtship of an Elizabeth (maybe Queen Elizabeth, or his mother or his beloved, Elizabeth Boyle). It is a justification of married life. The other work is Colin Clouts Come Home Again, dedicated to Raleigh. It is pastoral and praises simple country life.
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to strangers it shows he is a citizen of the world, travel is part of education, etc.). A famous quotation from him is I have taken all knowledge to be my province. His works fall in three groups: 1. Philosophical: the advancement of learning, Novum Organum. 2. Literary works: Essays such as New Atlantis, The History of Henry 3. Professional: Maxims of the Law He went to Trinity College. About university professors he said men of sharp wits, shut up in their cells of a few authors like Aristotle. This shows he was against Aristotle, because Aristotle introduced deductive method but Bacon introduced inductive method. He rebelled against Aristotle. In Novum Organum ( )named after one of the works of Aristotle called (Organum), he says our understanding is limited by four idols. These are bad habits of mind that cause people to fall into error. 1. Idol of the tribe referring to misunderstanding from nationality. 2. Idol of the cave referring to mistakes and misunderstandings of within. 3. Idol of the market place referring to misunderstandings from communication with other people. 4. Idol of the theater referring to philosophy and literature. Alexander Pope describes him as the wisest, brightest and meanest of man. Hope is a good breakfast but not a good supper = a famous quotation. His next work is the New Atlantis, and unfinished philosophical semi-romance, a utopian work. In this work he proposed a College of Solomons House (6 Days Work College). He predicted refrigerator, telephone, submarine, aeroplane in this work. He was the first empirical philosopher (.) He is the first martyr of science (caught cold while experimenting in snow). He became Lord Chancellor.
4. Edward II = First chronicle play of English literature His works are nihilistic and express spiritual doubt. He enhanced blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter). He is the greatest dramatist of his time. His works manifest new learning, worship of man. He sums up the Renaissance. Tamburlane the Great: A heroic epic, epic tragedy in blank verse: it has two parts. It is about the famous conqueror. Give me a map and see how much is left for me to conquer. In one part of the play he attaches the king of the countries to his carriage. For example he imprisoned King of Turkey and his wife in a cage, and the king butted his head against the wall and killed himself. When he wanted to conquer the city of Babel, virgins were put in the city gate as symbols of innocence but he killed them all. This play shows the spirit of military power. Doctor Faustus: A tragedy of blank verse with the theme of lust for knowledge. It is about a man from Germany who learned a lot. So Satan sent his top minister, Mephistopheles, to him and he tells Faustus that he will teach him all the knowledge for 24 years and in exchange for his soul. He does many things in those 24 years, but dies after that. It is a spiritual tragedy. The Jew of Malta: Barabus, lust for wealth. The governor of Malta takes his money and gives it to Turks, so Barabus gets angry and starts taking revenge from Muslims and Christians. But falls in a trap that he had prepared himself for an evil purpose. Hero and Leander: An unfinished poem which was finished by Chapman. It is about love of Leander for Hero. Leander is being sunk while swimming to her, and Hero in despair throws herself into the sea.
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The Duchess of Malfi is about a widow, who is called the Duchess of Malfi. She falls in love wither servant, Antonio. They marry secretly and they have two children. Her brothers Duke Ferdinand, and the Cardinal hire someone called Bosola, and he kills her and the two children. When the brother sees the face of her dead sister he say: Cover her face: Mine eyes dazzle: she did yong. This is an immoral line in English literature showing indifference and cruelty. The Elizabethan drama was in blank verse.
He wrote two tragedies, Catiline and Sejanus His Fall, which both are Roman tragedies. He wrote thirty masques (an entertainment play with dance, music, simple plot, lavish costume and expensive scenery. The audience are rich and they take part in the play and wear masks). Poetaster ( )is his next comedy. He had 133 epigrams. He has a sonnet called To the Memory of My Beloved Master, William Shakespeare. Thou art a monument without a tomb
Robert Burton Francis Bacon John Bunyan (The Pilgrims Progress) Anatomy of Melancholy: A very lengthy book of half a million words. Dr Johnson said about it The only book that took me out of bed two hours sooner. A world of literature in itself Machen. This book is erudite (challenging, full of ideas). It is full of allusions, French, Latin, biblical and Greek words. It is a book in three parts with many subdivisions. He tells us about the cases ad symptoms of different kinds of melancholy. In fact, it is an Anatomy of Man. His next work is Philosophaster, which is a Latin drama and a criticism of charlatanism.
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He wrote Bussy dAmbois, and The Revenge of Bussy dAmbois which are Senecan tragedies. The latter is influenced by Hamlet. He wrote comedies like All Fools. He believes that the truest wisdom is the pursuit of beauty. He is famous for my first looking into Chapmans Homer written by Kyd about Champmans translation of Homer. Another play by him is Eastward ho in which he collaborated with Ben Jonson and John Marston. He finished Marlows Hero and Leander.
Shakespeare 1564-1616
His father was a wool merchant. At the age of 18, married a woman of 26 and had three children. He moved to London with his family from Stratford, which is on the bank of a river called Avon. Shakespeare was a dramatist sonneteer and an actor. He wrote 36 plays and 154 sonnets. His plays are comedies, tragedies, tragic comedies and history plays. He borrowed many of his plots from history books, Chronicles etc. He was a part-owner of the Globe theatre. It is a round theatre which is wooden and imitated from the style of inns. They say that Bacon and Marlow wrote some of his works. Jonson: He was not of an age but for all time It is said that Shakespeare never omitted any lines and Ben Jonson said I wish he had blotted out a thousand lines. He was a master of blank verse. Shakespeare acted in Jonsons Everyman in His Humour. Above all Shakespeare had an excellent knowledge of nature: knowledge of human nature, heart and passion. An ordinary English person uses 450 words and expressions from Shakespeare. An educated person uses 2000. Shakespeares works represent contradictions in human nature. He could do well in tragedy as well as in comedy. A French critic said next to God, Shakespeare has created most. Shakespeare was uplifted to his present status in the Romantic period. He was never in the court. He wrote for all classes of society. Alexander Pope said his characters are so much nature herself that it is a sort of injure to call them by so distant a name as copies of nature. This means Shakespeare is above rules. Samuel Johnson said Shakespeare is above all writers. He is the poet of nature. He holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of his life. Haslitt calls Shakespeare the poet of nature in the largest use of the term. Shakespeare describes things as they would be. 20
Thomas Carlyle says Shakespeare is great in painting men and things. His works are meta-narrative (a language which is above human language), and have been translated many times in many culture. An important Shakespeares or Elizabethan theme is order. Sonnets He wrote 154 sonnets with the themes of love. Angelic love to a young man, and a diabolical love to a dark lady. It is said that the young man was a friend (friendship was a very important theme of Renaissance). The other theme of Shakespeare is beauty, nature, marriages, immortality, death, change. From sonnet 1 to 17 are about immortality through getting married and having children, and no. 17 urges the man to have a child so that there will be proof for Shakespeares verses about him. From sonnet 18 to 126 is about friendship, love, death, change and immortality. From 127 to 152 is about the Dark Lady. The most important about her is no. 144, which says the Dark Lady is the bay where all men ride. So Dark Lady is the symbol of sexual desire rather than love. Important sonnets: 18, 73, 130 (anti-Petrarchan). One classification of his works is comedy, tragedy, tragic comedies, histories and romances. Another one is 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th period. A Mid-Summers Night Dream is a masque fantasy. Henry V (5th). A history play about Henrys victory over the French. He is a man of justice, wisdom and fortitude. Romeo and Juliet. Is a romantic tragedy and about love at first sight. The balcony scene is important. It has been used in many movies, plays, etc. Julius Caesar is a fall of prince tragedy. It is about Brutus and Castille. He wrote The Taming of the Shrew, which is a farce. Henry IV (4th). It is in two parts. Its and education of prince play. It is about Henry V and his funny friend Falstaff. It was popular and even the Queen loved it. They live a very wild life. People love this very much. He wrote The Merry Wives of Windsor (a continuation of Henry IV) in 14 days. Alls Well That Ends Well. It is about Helena. It has the theme of disguise.
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Much Ado About Nothing. It is a problem play about the war of sexes. He wrote Coriolanus which is about Mr. Coriolanus who is proud, who becomes and enemy of Rome people. So he brings and army of Volsicans Troilus and Cressida. Chapman and Homer wrote it as well. It is a tragedy. Troilus is the son of knight of the Troy. Anthony and Cleopatra. It is a fall of prince tragedy. Timon of Athens is his next work. It is unfinished and is about the danger of excess and false friends. Cymbeline is about Imogen who is the daughter of the King of England. The Two Gentleman of Verona. It is about a disguised girl in search of her lover. Comedy of Errors. It is About mistaken identity. The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus. It is a revenge tragedy. The Merchant of Venice. It is a tragic comedy and about Shylock and Antonio. Portia appears in disguise and solves the problem. It is about revenge. King Lear: It has two plots. King Lear and his three daughter Goneril, Regan, and Cordilia. He wants to divide the country among his daughters. Regan and Goneril get accepted in his love test. The two daughters mistreat the King. He goes mad and dies with Cordilia at the end. At the same time it is a story of Gloucester and his two sons, Edgar and Edmund. Theme: Moral blindness and false visions vs. vision and self-knowledge. It is also about the duty of children. The love test and hot temper are the Kings flaws. The other theme is suffering restores greatness Another theme is order. The plot has been taken from Holinsheds Chronicle. The subplot from Sidnies Arcadia. Othello: it is about a moor. The play is about anguish and jealousy. There is a villain called Iago (motive hunting of motiveless malignity). He tells Othello that your wife has affair with Cassio. Othello kills him, his wife and himself. Chaos is come again is a famous sentence from it. Macbeth: Tragedy of evil. The tragic flaw of Macbeth is over-ambition. It starts with the witches. Macbeth is a very successful General. King Duncan comes to his palace
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and he kills the king because his wife tempts him. But later the wife feels guilty and kills herself. So in the end Macbeth dies as well. It is a tragic hero and shows human corruptibility and lust for power. It is about moral wills vs. moral intellect. The sleepwalking scene is important. It is taken from Holinsheds Chronicle. It is about degeneration of his moral nature. It shows how evil enters society. Hamlet: the most famous play in the world. It is a revenge tragedy. Hamlet is an intellectual. He is a man of thought, not action. It is said that he is our contemporary. He doesnt take revenge, because he is not sure. He suffers from an Oedipus complex (misogynist- woman hater). The uncle killed the father (what hamlet unconsciously desired). He does not kill his uncle, because in doing so he will kill himself. Hamlet procrastinates and he is misfit to live in world because this world is and unwedded garden. He is also the symbol of Christ. His age is 23-30. He is a scapegoat. The most famous soliloquy is from Hamlet (To be or not to be, thats the question). Hamlet is philosophical. It is a fall of prince, love and revenge tragedy. It is the story of Cane and Abel. The brother kills his brother. Hamlet procrastinates because he is torn between Anglo-Saxon (revenge) and Christian (forgiveness) tradition. 1. Hamlet is mad 2. The world is mad 3. He pretends to be mad The Tempest: It is Shakespeares last play. It is a dramatic romance. Prospero, the Duke of Milan, who is absorbed in books and magic, is expelled by his brother Antonio and cast adrift with his baby daughter Miranda in a leaky boat. Prospero dwells on a deserted island and makes servants out of the ethereal spirit Ariel and the subhuman Caliban. Twelve years later, when the play opens, Prospero causes tempests and shipwrecks. He continues to isolate Ferdinand, Antonios son, who falls in love with Miranda. He frees Ariel, and sails for Italy and leaves Caliban, the sole resident of the island. When Miranda sees Ferdinand for the first time, she says Brave new world because she hadnt seen anybody but her father. Themes: Nature and Nurture () Forgiveness. Prospero forgives Sebastian Cheerfulness in misfortune. Magic Some interpret it with a post-colonial approach. Prospero goes to an Island to make its inhabitants civilized. Prospero is a philosopher, moralist and wise. He is Shakespeare. With the tempest, Shakespeare said goodbye to writing. *** In the 17th century there were three important poetry schools. 1- Metaphysical (Donne). 2- Cavelier (Ben Jonson). 3- Spencerian (Milton).
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Metaphysical poetry is the poetry of reason which mixes mind, body and soul. It is very witty. It is called the poetry of long lines. It is harsh. It violates decorum. It is a reaction to smooth and sweet tone of 16th century poetry. It is called energy poetry as well. Shock tactics, direct address, rough language, colloquial language and above all, meta-physical conceit are used in it. In metaphysical poetry inventiveness, stylistic manoeuvres and fusion of thoughts and feelings play important roles. The meter is rough. The comparisons are far-fetched. It is argumentative, and intense. It is erotic (physical love). There are two groups of metaphysical poems, religious and secular. They are usually humorous. Metaphysical poetry was not famous until Girearson and compiled and anthology and T.S. Eliot wrote two essays about it.
The King, Charles I vs. Oliver Cromwell. Charles I was challenged by the parliament for charging too much tax. The parliament wanted a hand in the government. So they entered a war. In 1648 Charles I was defeated and in 1649 he was beheaded. Oliver Cromwell became the Lord Protector (like a president). The Prince, Charles II escaped to Holland. Oliver Cromwell was a puritan (a strict version of Christianity). Any form of entertainment such as too much laughing, theaters, etc were forbidden. So people in reality werent very happy. In 1658, Oliver Cromwell died so his son who was a weak and inefficient became the Lord Protector. But the parliament voted 24
for the return of Charles II (the same parliament which beheaded his father, Charles I). In 1660 he became the king. 1649 1660 is called Interregnum (no king). 1660 marks the end of the Renaissance. Elizabeth made England a super power. She colonized many countries. Literature was strengthened. From 1660 to 1700 is Restoration Period. It is return of the Merry King (Charles II). Theaters were opened again.
Renaissance
Augustan
Romanticism
1550
1660
1700
1745
1798
1832
Victorian
1901
Restoration
Age of sensibility
In the Puritan Period there are two important names; John Milton (poetry) and John Bunyan. John Bunyan (1628-188) wrote Pilgrims Progress. It is a prose dream vision which is allegorical. It expresses the Puritan spirit and is very close to Everyman. It is translated to more than 100 languages and dialects. A man falls sleep and has a dream vision. Mr. Christian travels from the city of destruction to the celestial city. He travels in search of salvation. This book became popular and he was asked to write a second book. The story of the second book is the same. In it, Christiana (the wife of Mr. Christian) and her children and a neighbor go on the same journey. Mr. Bunyan was a puritan preacher. He was imprisoned for preaching. He wrote 9 books in prison. He was released in 1672 and was put in prison again in 1677. He caught pneumonia and died in 1688. Pilgrims Progress is didactic, moral and humorous. The full name is Pilgrims Progress from this World to that which is to come. His next books are The Holy war Grace Abounding The life and death of Mr. Badman His works are allegorical. He was great preacher and speaker of puritan period. He looked to the Bible (King Jamess version, translated under the monarchy of King James by 40 translators, which is a literature itself). He expresses the puritan spirit that this life is a preparation for the after life. His work is an important predecessor of the novel. John Donne revolted against the Elizabethans sonnets which were soft and smooth. He used a harsh language.
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represented 17th century gentleman values. Their poems are simple and direct. An important theme for them is Carpe Diem. To Lucosta is the famous book of Richard Lovelace (1618-1657), a cavalier poet. It is about her beloved, who when he went to war and didnt return, married someone else and didnt wait for him. Lucosta means pure light. He has a mock epic called grasshopper.
lAllegro is about the joy of country life, and Il Penseroso is about the pleasant of solitude. He wrote Arcadias which is a pastoral masque. He wrote Lycides, about a friend who was drowned. It is an occasional poem, an elegy. He wrote Comus (a masque). It is a morality play with pastoral entertainment. It is about the confrontation of virtue and evil. Second Period: In this period he wrote the Doctrine and Principles of Divorce. It is a pamphlet. He wanted to divorce his wife so he wrote it. He wrote another pamphlet called Of Education. He favors humanistic education. He wrote Aeropagitica (about the freedom of expression and press). He wrote Image Breaker (Iconoclastic) in which he broke the image of Charles I. He said he acted evilly under the name of religion. The most famous pamphlet by him is Aeropagitica in which he says no to cloistered virtue. He favors sophisticated innocence. Third Period In this period he wrote Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes ) ( . The latter is about a blind biblical figure, who is imprisoned by the philistines of Gaza, but he is very strong and the strength is in his long hair. His wife betrays him and reveals the secret to the enemy. Samson Agonites is a . drama (a play written to be read, no performed). That is because Milton was a puritan and for them theater was immoral. Miltons style is highly artificial, allusive and archaic and Latinate. Parallels Lost The theme is to justify the ways of God man. So this is the theme according to the epic itself. It is the greatest epic in English literature. It is a religious one. It is about the story of Adam and Eve and expulsion of Satan from heaven. It is an epic in 12 books. The setting is universe. The language is strong, written in blank verse in long complex sentences. He created a new kind of English. He invented eye-witness. It is written in 13 thousand lines. He looks to the bible. Both the style and subject are grand. Book one is about Hell Book two is about Chaos Book three is about Heaven and Sun Book four is about Paradise Book five is about Paradise and War in Heaven
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Book six is about War in Heaven Book seven is about Creation Book eight is about Science, love and epics. Book nine is about The Fall Book ten is about Aftermath of the Fall Book eleven is about The Future Book twelve is about The future and the Expulsion. He did things un-attempted yet in prose or rhyme. His language is lofty and grandiloquent. The epic starts in Mediasres. Blake said Milton was of the devils party without knowing it. T.S. Eliot criticized Milton. He said Milton built a china wall against the blank verse and he said that Milton with his artificial style corrupted poetry. Stantey Fish in his Surprised by Sin says ambiguity of Miltons syntax compels to recognize our fallen state. Then he wrote Paradise Regained which is in four books. The them is mans disobedience lost paradise but Christs obedience will regain it. It is about Christs triple temptation. Firstly by bread, then by wealth and finally by glory. He will regain paradise because he resisted temptation. Of the Tenure of Magistrate and Kings is a pamphlet which justifies tyrancide.
Augustan
Romantic
1649 1900-1901
1660 1945
Modern
1700
Restoration
1745
1798
1832
Victorian
Age of sensibility
Restoration is when the parliament restored the monarchy. Milton and Bunyan are speakers of Puritan period in poetry and prose, respectively. Charles II opened the theatres and brought actresses from France. Themes of Restoration drama or comedy of manners are the behaviour of couples and sexual reactions. This comedy was accused of immorality and was replaced by comedy of sensibility in the 18th century, but it was later revived by Oscar Wild.
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happened. He says that the fire and the war were Gods test, not punishment. He wanted to inspire his fellow countryman. He wrote Religio Laici, meaning the the faith of a layman. He defended the Church of England against the Catholics. He attacks the Catholics (popes followers). He is against deism (natural religion, religion through reason). He has several famous odes 1. To Anne Killigrew 2. A Song for Saint Cecelias Day. Saint Cecelia is the patron of music. 3. Alexanders feast. It is again about Saint Cecelia. It is about Alexander the Macedonian who set Persepolis on fire. The real story is that he did it because his wife tempted him, but in this work he says that he did it because he was captivated by music of Thimothias and the God of wine, Bacchus. His other work is The Medal. The Whigs gave a medal to Shaftsbury. Dryden satires this giving of medal. Another book is Fables Ancient and Modern. Marriage A-la-Mode is about a wife who does not love her husband and vice-versa. They love other peoples husbands and wives. The theme of it is: why should a foolish marriage vow. T.S. Eliot called it his best work. It is a comedy in blank verse, influenced by Molier (the French writer who had the most influence on British comedy). The Conquest of Granada is his other work.
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The Old Bachelor is about Mr. Heartwell who hates woman, but falls in love with Silvia. He wrote Double Dealer. He wrote Love for Love which is about Valentine and Vangelica. His masterpiece is the Way of the World, which is about Mirabell who is in love with Millamant. It has a complex plot. They want to build a true marriage because marriages of those times were built around property and were called marriage of convenience, a marriage which is not based on the ways of the world, which is falsehood and pretense. Grief walks upon the heels of pleasure.
Novel started in 18th century. He was a poet, dramatist, gambler, drinker and inventor of ballad opera. It drove the Italian opera from the English stage.
John Gay
He is famous for writing the best 18th century drama called Beggars Opera (1728). It is about Newgate prison and Capt. Macheath, who is the leader of a gang of robbers and popular with woman. He secretly marries Polly who is the daughter of Peachum, buyer of stolen goods. Peachum reports him and he is arrested. In prison he finds Lucy, daughter of Mr. Lockit, the warder of the prison. Lucy helps him escape, but he is arrested again. Four other wives come with their children claiming that he is their husband. He is going to be hanged but the people tell Mr. Beggar, the narrator, why the poors are always hanged. So he changes the ending and Macheath goes and lives with Poly. It became very popular. There are many ironies and humours in it and it is musical. The play satires the corruption of the governing class. Since it was popular, he wrote a sequel on it called The Polly. Three Penny Opera by Brecht is an imitation of this opera. It is the story of lowlife in prison.
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Essay on Man is a didactic poem in heroic couplet. He wants to justify the ways of God to man. It is a simple work. In this book, he was influenced by Shaftsburys philosophy that God is a pure, rational idea (deism). Man is fundamentally good and desires others happiness. It is not an original work but sums up the philosophy of neo-classicism. It was written in four epistles. Essay on Criticism is about the cannons of literary taste and style according to classical works of Aristotle and Quintilian (Italian Renaissance figure). It is didactic. The Rape of the Lock is a mock epic (which has style of epic but has a low subject) in which there is a lady called Arabella and a man called Lord Petre, who took a lock of Arabellas hair which gave rise to a quarrel between the families. Pope composed this poem in order to correct things and put an end to the quarrel. The lady is preparing to go on a party near the river Thames, but it seems that she is going on a war of Troy. She plays a card game which is described as a war. In this game Lord Petre takes a string of her hair. There are two purposes for this poem. 1. First, to put an end on enmity and quarrel of two families. However the families became his enemy. 2. Second, to make fun of fashionable society of the day. It was written in 5 parts with topical allusions. It is about beaux and bells. Hazlitt called it the triumph of insignificance. _____________________ There are four great names in neo-classical period: Dryden, Pope, Dr. Johnson and Swift.
based on a Persian story. In fact it is a book of essays on various subjects. The plot is about a prince who has everything and lives in a valley, but is not happy. He goes in search of happiness and lives different kind of lives, and returns to his palace unsatisfied. The last chapter is called A conclusion in which nothing is concluded.
prostitute. In this island, scientists are so mentally preoccupied with science that they forget to answer back in conversations. There are some people called flappers who remind them about this. It's a disillusionment of human being. Book four is in country of clean and rational horses. They have servants called Yahoos, who eat human beings. Then he goes back to his own country, and finds that he even hates his wife. The book is very pessimistic and nihilistic. There is a lot of description of excretion and toilet in it. Swift suffered from anal fixation. He shows the evil human pride and is disillusioned about human mankind. It is a satire on vices of human and human institutions.
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American Literature
1492- Discovery of America.
EUROPE
Wool
Sugar
AFRICA
Slaves 10 millions slaves went to America in 340 years. Who worked free of charge on plantations
1565: 1607: 1600-1776: 1619: 1626: 1650: 1754-1763: 1764-1766: 1770: 1773 1776: 1781:
a town called St. Augustine was set up but it was later burnt. Jamestown in Virginia was set up by English Colonial period First African slaves arrived in Jamestown Mr. Minuit buys Manhattan Island for the Dutch and names it NewAmsterdam Slavery was made legal French and Indian (who fought for British) between England and France. Tax was imposed on sugar and tea. Stamp act. Boston Massacre Declaration of Independence (4th of July) British surrender and end of Revolutionary war.
American Literature
Colonial or puritan period is 17th and 18th centuries. Transcendental or Romantic is first half of the 19th century. Realism and Naturalism is second half of the 19th century. Modernism is from 1900 or 1945 (between the two World Wars). From 1945 to the present is called post modernism. 1787: 1789: 1800: In Philadelphia people like Washington and Adams wrote Americas constitution. First American president, George Washington was elected.
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1803: 1812: 1844: 1846-48: 1852: 1861: 1863: 1865: 1869: 1898: 1903-1914: 1908: 1919-1933: 1917-1919: 1929: 1941: 1945: 1950-53: 1953-1955: 1954: 1964: 1965-73: 1969:
Louisiana was purchased by the French American war with British. The Whitehouse was burnt by the British. Telegraph line was established between Washington and Baltimore. War with Mexico Uncle Toms Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which triggered civil war between industrial north and slave The Civil war began. President Lincoln freed most of the slaves The civil war ended with southerners defeated. Lincoln was assassinated. The railroad connecting east and west coast was completed. Spanish-American war started. The Americans defeated the Spanish and took control of the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam and America emerged as a super-power. The Panama Canal was built connecting Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Henry Ford introduced the Model T car, in mass production (cost around $850). The Prohibition act (of alcohol) was passed which lead to mafias and godfathers. America joined World War I. Allies were Britain, France, Russia and America against Germany, Austria and Hungry. Great depression. Wall Street crashed leading to unemployment. Japan attacked Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. America bombarded Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It is end of World War I and America is a super-power. Korean War. Senator McCarthy started McCarthyism. Anyone who was related to communism was imprisoned or killed. For example Arthur Miller was interrogated for writing The Crucible, to attack McCarthy. Racial Segregation (separation of blacks and whites) in public schools was forbidden. Civil Rights act was passed in congress, forbidding discrimination in voting and jobs. Orientals was written by Edward Saeed. The Vietnam War. Armstrong landed on the moon.
Neo-classicism (1660-1798)
The first neo-classicist in English literature is B. Jonson. There are several important key words in neoclassicism. 1- Follow the rules: It is the theory of Horace, saying studying the works of ancient will make you a poet. So it means one should follow the past to become a poet. It is a very important feature. 2- Imitate the ancients 3- Literature for the sake of the society to improve it (writing satire). Laughter must be used to as a weapon to improve the society. 38
The greatest writers of this period are Dryden, Alexander Pope, Dr. Johnson and Jonathan Swift. It was age of optimism. Another feature of it was decorum: the fitness of subject and style, which was also important in Renaissance. The other feature is that literature must give pleasure and delight. Simplicity and clarity are among other features. Literature should instruct and correct the society. The neo-classicists interested in nature as rules and standards for judgement. Shakespeare and Horaces works are important for them. One of the most important features is reason: literature, life and even religion which is rational. The second half of the 18th century is called age of reason. The other name for this period is Age of Prose. Periodicals, novels and satires emerged. Enlightenment: Reason is enough to guide you through your life. Literature of the head, not heart. You must prune your readers and teach morality.
There was a drama called sentimental drama called sentimental drama appealing emotions which replaced comedy of manners. Blank verse was replaced by heroic couplet which was simple, direct and brief. Novel was born in the neo-classical period. According to neo-classical period, a person must be trained to become a poet. Neo-classical literature is objective, in contrast with Romantic literature which is subjective. Whatever is is right said Alexander Pope, a deformed man. He is the writer who summed up rules and doctrines of neoclassical period. He added nothing, but summed up what was said before him, especially by the French writer, Boileau. Nature methodised. It means a nature which is cut, formed, shaped and regulated. Dryden is the greatest restoration writer. He is the first great critic of English literature. They believe in conventions and forms.
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Twice Told Tales is one of his short stories which is important in literature. Poe referred to it when he introduced his sing effect theory. Hawthorne is one of the first short story writers together with Poe. His most important work is Scarlet Letter. They put an A letter on Hesters chest, who has committed adultery. The House of Seven Gables, Rappaccinis Daughter, The Ministers Black Veil and The Great Stone Face, are his important works. His works are explorations of moral and spiritual conflicts.
ends with the transcendental idea of self. In fact, it's a development of the theory of "Over-soul". Self is a key word in his works. Song of Myself is his masterpiece. This extremely long poem announces all of the major themes of Whitman's work.
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