COSMOS:AN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE,LANGUAGE AND INDIC STUDIES

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Dr. MUKESH PAREEK 14 NET ,3 JRF ,2 M.Phil
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A QUIZ ON THE RESTORATION AGE LITERATURE

1. While very well known for his poetry, like "Absalom and Achitophel", this late seventeenth-
century writer is even more well known for his contributions to literary criticism. In fact, he is
often referred to as "the father of English criticism". Who is this individual who authored "An
Essay on Dramatic Poesy" and "A Discourse Concerning the Original and Progress of Satire"?
Jonathan Swift

John Dryden

Matthew Prior

James Boswell

Answer: John Dryden

John Dryden lived from 1631 to 1700. Dryden lived in a most turbulent time for England, a time
when one's political leanings determined one's success or perhaps even one's survival. He grew up in
a family that supported Parliament's dissolution of the monarchy and execution of King Charles I,
and he himself supported the Cromwell regime. However, upon Cromwell's death, he favored the
restoration of the British crown and threw his support behind King Charles II. In 1686, he continued
to support Charles II's successor James II and even converted to Catholicism to show solidarity with
his Catholic monarch. His loyalty to the British monarchy is the basis for his political epic "Absalom
and Achitophel", a poem that somewhat pretends to be a retelling of the story of the Biblical David's
son Absalom who follows the ill advice of Achitophel to usurp his father's kingdom. Absalom
represents the duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son, who was being used by the Whigs
with the Earl of Shaftesbury (Achitophel's counterpart) as the main instigator behind Monmouth's
claim to the throne. David is, of course, Charles II. As a literary critic, John Dryden was
groundbreaking, for he became England's very first comprehensive critic--someone who managed to
combine important pieces of past English literary criticism as well as philosophies of the classical
Romans and Greeks into a synthesized whole. He was extremely well read but was enough of a free
thinker to construct his own arguments about how to write literature well and about what the
purposes of literature were.

2. This individual's "Diary" is most significant not only because of its rich detail, scrupulous
accuracy, and refreshing candor but also because of the historical insight it affords us of
Restoration England. What Londoner wrote this famous "Diary", which includes an entry recording
"The Great Fire" of London in 1666?

Anne Frank

Charles Lamb

Samuel Johnson

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Samuel Pepys

Answer-Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys (pronounced "peeps") lived from 1633 to 1703. He had to rely on a scholarship to
achieve a degree at Cambridge and then on a familial connection to find employment within the
Office of the Navy. However, through his diligence, ambition, and remarkable knack for detail, he
eventually became secretary of the Admiralty and held many other administrative positions,
including president of the Royal Society, until his fortunate career collapsed with the deposition of
King James II. His attention to detail obviously spilled over into his "Diary", which is a splendid
recording of English business, religion, literary life, music, theater, society, and much more. It is a
recording of matters both public and private--from major affairs of state to quarrels he had with his
own wife. Interestingly, he wrote his "Diary" in shorthand and often even in code, which probably
provided him security to be as frank as he was. The book had to be deciphered before it was
published in the 1800s, more than a hundred years after his death.

3. In 1663, '64, and '78, three different parts of the highly satirical poem "Hudibras" were
published. The poem ridiculed Presbyterians, Puritans, Parliament, the Cromwellian regime, and
anyone else who failed to support the royalists during the English civil wars of the 17th century.
The poem's unique style of couplets is still referred to as "hudibrastic verse" when it is used by
other writers. Who is the poet who wrote "Hudibras"?

Joseph Addison

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Samuel Butler

John Milton

Answer: Samuel Butler

Samuel Butler lived from 1612 to 1680. He despised the Puritans and the Cromwellian government
of England but had to wait until the Restoration of Charles II to England's throne before he could
publish his thoughts and verse. Charles II so admired "Hudibras" that he awarded Butler 300 pounds
as a gift and was known to quote the lines of the poem quite often. The form of verse Butler chose
to use for the poem has come to be known as hudibrastic verse. It is associated with mock heroic
writing. Its use of iambic tetrameter, a highly structured and formulaic meter, is associated with
grand themes and epic deeds; however, its use of feminine rhyme undermines the loftiness of the
meterical pattern. Iambic tetrameter would require each line of the poem to consist of four feet
(eight syllables), and each foot would be an iambus, or a combination of two syllables with the
second syllable receiving more of an emphasis than the first. The pattern would sound something
like this: dah-DUM dah-DUM dah-DUM dah-DUM. However, feminine rhyme destroys the neatness
of the iambic tetrameter rhythm. Every line would end with one extra syllable past the last
emphasized syllable. Feminine rhyme occurs when the rhyming sounds of two words are found in

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COSMOS:AN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE,LANGUAGE AND INDIC STUDIES
www.englishcosmos.org
www.mukeshpareek.com (9828402032)
Dr. MUKESH PAREEK 14 NET ,3 JRF ,2 M.Phil
Youtube channel : English for UGC NET by Dr.Mukesh Pareek

un-emphasized ending syllables (like WALKing and TALKing). The effect of hudibrastic verse is
supposed to be a comical one in that the poem appears to be written by an individual who can't
write metrical patterns correctly, a form that works perfectly with a poem that is ridiculing people
who cannot lead correctly. Here is a sample of some of the poem's lines: "Whose honesty they all
durst swear for, / Though not a man of them knew wherefore; / When gospel-trumpeter,
surrounded / With long-eared rout, to battle sounded, / And pulpit, drum ecclesiastic, / Was beat
with fist instead of a stick". You can catch the comical effect in this last line when you consider that
"a stick" is supposed to be read with emphais on "a" but not on "stick" so that you would pronounce
the ending of the line thusly: "UH-stick".

4. What play, written by William Congreve and considered one of the best Restoration comedies,
revolves around the plotting, blackmailing, deception, and witty dialogue of various characters
who are involved in a complicated scheme to gain or protect the dowry of Miss Millamant yet
ends with a testament of the power of generosity and true love?

The White Devil

The Way of the World

Lady Windermere's Fan

All's Well That Ends Well

Answer - The Way of the World

William Congreve lived from 1670 to 1729. His famous play, "The Way of the World", was produced
in 1700. It unfortunately was so poorly received by English audiences that Congreve was convinced
that he should give up being a playwright. However, scholars now consider it to be one of the
wittiest plays ever written and a perfect and polished example of the genre of Restoration comedy.
Most of these comedies focused on the struggle for power, sex, and money and relied on intricate
scheming (such as disguised characters that led to mistaken identities) that often exploded in the
most laughable of manners. While "The Way of the World" at first seems to perpetuate the notion
that cynical self-interest is "the way of the world", it eventually establishes that true love is the only
goal that really matters. Ultimately, the play has this to say about those who would manipulate
others for personal gain: "each deceiver to his cost may find / That marriage frauds too oft are paid
in kind".

5. What libertine, who held the title of Second Earl of Rochester, wrote "The Disabled
Debauchee", a poem in which the impotent and diseased speaker will live vicariously through the
debauchery committed by younger men, much the way an old admiral watches from the safety of
a nearby hill as two rival fleets clash in battle?

William Wordsworth

Sam Shepard

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Dr. MUKESH PAREEK 14 NET ,3 JRF ,2 M.Phil
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John Wilmot

Matthew Prior

Answer: John Wilmot

"The Disabled Debauchee" wittily and satirically presents a thorough hedonist as a heroic figure by
presenting the poem in heroic stanzas of iambic pentameter and by comparing him to a worthy
soldier whom younger warriors seek as a mentor. The Debauchee is older, impotent, affected by
wine, and scarred from a sexually transmitted disease; however, he celebrates his days of
"conquest" in his memory and enjoys watching the exploits of those younger than he. The following
quatrain captures the poem's essence: "I'll tell of whores attacked, their lords at home; / Bawds'
quarters beaten up, and fortress won; / Windows demolished, watches overcome; / And handsome
ills by my contrivance done". John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, who wrote the poem and lived
from 1647 to 1680, could draw upon his own experiences for material. He began a promising career
by taking a position at Charles II's court when he was seventeen; however, he was imprisoned for
abducting an heiress and became infamously known for his practical jokes, sexual affairs, reckless
spending, and constant intoxication. In fact, he told his biographer that "for five years together he
was continually drunk".

6. This seventeenth-century play was a source of controversy during its time, not only because of
its lewd puns and sexual explicitness but also because of the deception perpetrated by one of the
main womanizing characters--the appropriately-named Mr. Horner--who pretends he is impotent
so that he is trusted by married men with their wives with whom he has affairs. What is the name
of this 1675 Restoration comedy written by William Wycherly?

The Country Wife

Volpone

As You Like It

Mrs. Warren's Profession

Answer - The Country Wife

"The Country Wife" was typical of many Restoration comedies in that it relied heavily on witty
exchanges of dialogue, puns, and playfully sexual discussion and behavior. The very title itself is
meant to be a double entendre referring to both a rural location and a vulgar term for a woman's
genitalia. These comedies were also known for their fast but complicated story lines that involved
many twists and multiple plots. Wycherly's "The Country Wife" itself consists of a dual plot, one
involving the rake mentioned in the question and the other involving the country wife herself, who is
an inexperienced young woman newly infatuated with the exciting city life of London and its young
men. Finally, like many Restoration comedies, "The Country Wife" attempts to push for aristocratic
values following the downfall of Cromwell's Puritan regime. The play's radical disregard for
"decency" is a direct result of the Puritan decision to prohibit plays for nearly twenty years and the

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COSMOS:AN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE,LANGUAGE AND INDIC STUDIES
www.englishcosmos.org
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Dr. MUKESH PAREEK 14 NET ,3 JRF ,2 M.Phil
Youtube channel : English for UGC NET by Dr.Mukesh Pareek

censorship they imposed on writers. William Wycherly lived from ca. 1640 to 1715. He was born into
a moderately wealthy family, but his wit was so popular among the aristocrats, particularly King
Charles II himself, that he enjoyed a semi-privileged lifestyle for some time.

7. This short novel launched a massive wave of anti-slavery feeling through its story of an African
prince who, with her consent, kills his pregnant lover rather than have their child be born into
slavery and then is himself executed by dismemberment, a death he faces with great stoicism.
What is the name of this tale, written by Aphra Behn and published in 1688?

Omoo

Mardi

Typee

Oroonoko

Answer- Oroonoko

"Oroonoko, or The Royal Slave" was written by Aphra Behn and published in 1688, a year before her
death. She composed this story during a time when prose fiction was still rather experimental for
the English--at least prose fiction in the format of a novel. Thus, it is a highly significant publication
because of its influence on the "shape" the novel would assume. Despite its combination of history
and realism with fiction and romantic fantasy, it also was a significant force in the abolition of the
slave trade in England. During a time when women were looked down upon for pursuing careers in
writing and acting, Aphra Behn boldly signed her name to her plays and other writings, and she
courageously responded in turn to those who criticized her. Her maiden name and the date of her
birth are shrouded in mystery, and the Mr. Behn she was supposedly to have married also remains
an unknown. Prior to beginning her writing career, she was a spy for King Charles II; he went back on
his deal to pay her for her services, however, and she was forced to look elsewhere for an income--
playwrighting. She is now praised with having paved the way in England for the female writer. (By
the way, how many recognized the other three titles among the answers as three of Herman
Melville's novels?)

8. What seventeenth century allegorical narrative written by John Bunyan is about a man named
Christian, who travels the King's Highway and encounters various settings like the Slough of
Despond and Vanity Fair and does battle with various beings such as hobgoblins and Apollyon,
"the angel of the bottomless pit"?

Young Goodman Brown

Pilgrim's Progress

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COSMOS:AN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE,LANGUAGE AND INDIC STUDIES
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Piers Plowman

Paradise Regained

Answer - Pilgrim's Progress

John Bunyan lived from 1628 to 1688. He was born the son of a poor pot maker and learned his
father's trade, yet he went on to become one of the most well-known seventeenth-century writers
from around the world due to his writing and publishing of "Pilgrim's Progress". Until contemporary
times--a more secular age--this book was as likely to be found in a Christian home as was the Bible
itself. The entire story revolved around the most basic metaphor in human culture--life is a journey--
and it contained images and events that the simplest of readers could comprehend. Furthermore, its
prose was modeled after that of the English translation of the Bible, and many of its statements
were rather memorable because of their proverbial nature: for example, "Some cry out against sin
even as the mother cries out against her child in her lap, when she calleth it slut and naughty girl,
and then falls to hugging and kissing it".

9. What was the name of the philosophical writer whose 1689 "Essay Concerning Human
Understanding" was both controversial and groundbreaking in its arguments that the mind was a
blank slate until filled with experience and that people should empty their minds of any ideas that
were not commensurate with experience, thus paving the way for Deism?

Isaac Newton

Jeremy Bentham

David Hume

John Locke

Answer - John Locke

John Locke was born 1632 and died 1704. He attended Oxford University, learned medicine, and
then worked as a physician and held various offices to which he was appointed. However, his
primary focus was always philosophy and simply finding time to think. Locke argued that any unclear
and logically unsupportable ideas should be cleared from the mind, but when he turned this
approach toward Christianity and removed all the "unreasonable" or "illogical" components of this
system of belief, he found not much was left to believe in except the existence of a creator. From
out of such thinking would arise Deism, the belief that a creator exists but that this entity does not
interfere with or intervene in the lives of human beings. Locke's philosophy would have tremendous
impact on the thinking of the eighteenth century and the Enlightenment movement as well as on the
leading thinkers of the American colonies (some of Thomas Jefferson's ideas in the "Declaration of
Independence" stem from Locke's thoughts).

10. Satirical writing became quite popular during the Restoration and continued well into the
1700s. One of its masters was John Dryden. What is the name of the poem by Dryden that

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COSMOS:AN INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH LITERATURE,LANGUAGE AND INDIC STUDIES
www.englishcosmos.org
www.mukeshpareek.com (9828402032)
Dr. MUKESH PAREEK 14 NET ,3 JRF ,2 M.Phil
Youtube channel : English for UGC NET by Dr.Mukesh Pareek

ridicules Thomas Shadwell, a playwright Dryden seemed to consider a hack and a bore, by making
Shadwell the subject of a coronation ceremony in which he is crowned King of Nonsense?

The Vanity of Human Wishes

Mac Flecknoe

To the Memory of Mr. Oldham

Humphrey Clinker

Answer Mac Flecknoe

"Mac Flecknoe" is a primary example of the mock epic, a poem that relies on a common, low, or
absurd subject for a piece written in a grand language, lofty style, and solemn tone--qualities
associated with epic poetry. Thomas Shadwell, the subject of Dryden's lampoon, and Dryden had
disagreed on a number of topics--both literary and political--for quite some while. Dryden refers to
Shadwell as Mac Flecknoe, or "son of Flecknoe". Richard Flecknoe had been a widely recognized
prolific yet untalented writer, and when he died, Dryden quickly seized an opportunity to speculate
who would be Flecknoe's successor as "king" of bad writing. He ridiculously compares Shadwell to
Augustus Caesar, Romulus, and Christ himself, as if Shadwell were worthy of such praise yet refers to
Shadwell as the king of Nonsense, a realm that extends from Ireland to Barbados and basically
includes no kingdom at all but rather the vast Atlantic Ocean. He insults Shadwell by attacking his
intelligence and declares that Shadwell is one "Who stands confirmed in full stupidity. / The rest [of
the bad writers] to some faint meaning make pretense, / But Sh--- never deviates into sense". Rather
than sailing down the Thames to his coronation, Shadwell sails down the sewer. Rather than being
crowned with laurel, he is crowned with poppies, and rather than holding the globe in his hand, he
holds a mug of ale. In the end, as Flecknoe descends into the bowels of the earth instead of
ascending into Heaven, as the Old Testament prophet Elijah did, Flecknoe's cloak falls off his
shoulders and onto the shoulders of Shadwell, as Elijah's cloak fell to the shoulders of his successor
Elisha. Dryden even throws in some really low blows by insulting Shadwell as an inferior because he
is Irish, and poking fun of Shadwell's obesity.