Q2.

Milton as a transition poet or poet of transition age

Transition Age:

The Age of Transition is an historical and cultural period situated between 1760 and 1798 and
so between the Augustan Age and the Romantic Age.

This age is transition age because there are some renaissance elements and some puritanical
elements. These elements were running side by side and parallel in that age. That is why it is
called “transition age”.

Puritan Age of Milton:

John Milton was an English poet and 17th century poet. He was Polemicist, a scholarly man of
letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. The period
between 1625 and 1675 is known as the “Puritan Age (or John Milton’s Age)”, because during
the period .The age in which Milton lived and wrote is known in history as the Puritan age. It is
known as Puritan because at the time puritan sect in Christianity started getting bold. Puritans
say there should be no worldly pleasure. They were strict to their rules and religion.
Revolutionary spirit found its noblest expression. Puritan standards prevailed in England, and
because the greatest literary figure John Milton was a Puritan. The Puritans struggled for
righteousness and liberty.

Works of John Milton:

Some works of Milton reflects Renaissance while some reflects puritanical.

Religious elements reflect to puritanical elements while Renaissance elements reflects Latin
elements.

Puritanical Elements Renaissance Elements

1. Paradise Lost L’ Allegro & IL Penseroso

2. Paradise Regained Comus and Lycidas

3. Samson Agonistes

4. Ode on the morning of Christ’s nativity

Age of Milton:

Beside Milton, we have metaphysical and cavalier poets in this age. Metaphysical are the
beginning of 17th century while cavalier poets were courtiers and soldiers, supported Charles I
during civil war. Milton has inherited love of literature from his family. Age of Milton divided
into 2 categories:

1. Caroline Poet
2. Metaphysical poet

Q. Write a short note on Caroline’s poet?

Caroline Poet:

Caroline stands for Carolus. Latin word from Charles. Caroline means those poets who were in
the reigns of Charles I.

Caroline’s poets further divided into 2 categories:

1. Religious poet
2. Secular poet or Cavalier poet

Religious Poets:

1. Robert Herrick

He wrote both secular and religious poetry with equal facility, if not quite with equal success.
His religious poetry was published under the general title of Noble Number. He wrote fairy
poems, love poems, occasional poems on all sorts of subjects they all are naturalness, fancy,
lyrical charm, and grace.

Works:

a) Hesperides
b) To the Virgins to make much of time

2. George Herbert

He wrote religious poet, a major metaphysical poet, notable for the purity and effectiveness of
his choice of words. His poems have a deep religious devotion, linguistic precision, metrical
agility, and ingenious use of conceit.

Work:
 a) The temple
3. Henry Vaughan

He was a religious poet, metaphysical, author, and physician. He is directly and powerfully
influenced by Herbert, is deeper in thought and much more mystical.

Work:

a) Silex Scintillans
b) The timber

4. Richard Crashaw

He was one of the major metaphysical poets in 17th-century, was an English poet, teacher, High
Church Anglican cleric, though very unequal and at times quite ruined by conceits, has far
greater fire and passion.

Works:

A Hymn to the Name and Honour of the Admirable Saint Teresa

5. Francis Quarles

He was a religious poet. His text was illustrated by quaint engravings, must be placed on record
because of their immense and long-enduring popularity.

Works:

The religious Emblems

Secular Poets or cavalier poet :

1. Thomas Carew

He was an English poet, first secular song writer

Works:

a) he that loves a rosy cheek

b) A Rapture

2. Sir John Suckling

He was an English secular poet, dramatist, and courtier, best known for his lyrics.
Work:

Why so pale and wan, fond lover

3. Richard Lovelace

He was an English poet, soldier, and Royalist whose graceful lyrics and dashing career made
him the prototype of the perfect secular.

Work:

To Althea from Prison

4. Andrew Marvell

He was English poet. He is now considered to be one of the best Metaphysical poets. His
earlier work exhibits many of the characteristics of cavalier school. But in politics and
religion he was on the other side, and after the restoration he changed his poetic note, and
wrote fierce satire in rugged style on Charles II and his supporters.

Work:

a) To His Coy Mistress

b) The Garden
c) An Horatian Ode

Q. Write a short note on metaphysical poets?

Metaphysical Poet:

The Metaphysical Poets appeared at the beginning of the 17th century. The name
‘metaphysical poetry’ is given by Dr. Samuel Johnson for the first time. When he wrote the life
of Abraham Cowley in his book “The Lives” he said about metaphysical poets:

“Were men of learning & to show their learning was their whole Endeavour.”

They are in general violent, harsh, cold, and obscure.

Major metaphysical poets:

1. JOHN DONNE

John Donne was the founder of the Metaphysical School. He tried to write poetry in a different
way. His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and include sonnets,
love poems, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, and satires. He is also
known for his sermons.

Work:

a) Death be not Proud

b) Sweetest love

2. ABRAHAM COWLEY

He is regarded as the chief representative of metaphysical school. His later poetry Cowley
discard much of his former extravagance, restrained and sober style which came in with the
next generation.

3. GEORGE HERBERT (less metaphysical)

4. ANDREW MARVELL
5. RICHARD CHRESHEW (less metaphysical)
6. HENRY VAUGHAN (less metaphysical)

Q: Milton’s prose age or 17th century prose age or puritan age prose:

Puritan Prose Age:

This age shows a falling off ( except in the case of Milton) from Elizabethan. The prose of the
reign of the first 2 Stuarts and of the commonwealth is not only superior to its poetry, but it
also marks a distinct advance on the prose of Elizabethan period.

In the hands of such writers as Browne, Taylor, and Milton. Side by side there a new prose of
the plainer kind approaching that of the restoration and therefore modern in the writings of
Hobbes, Clarendon and Izaac Walton.

Divided into 2 categories:

1. Ornate Prose
2. Plain Prose
1. Writers of Ornate Prose ( Burton, Browne, Taylor, and Milton:

Robert Burton:

He was an English writer, clergyman who resided permanently at Oxford. He served in many
minor administrative roles and as the librarian of Christ Church Library.

Works:
 a) Anatomy of Melancholy
b) Encyclopedic

Jeremy Taylor:

He was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the
Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his
poetic style of expression, and he is one of the greatest prose writers in the English language.

Work:

The holy living and the holy dying

Sir Thomas Browne:

He was a physician, was a greatest prose writer, and the author of several books full of varied
and curious erudition, but his main title to fame is his personal confession of religious faith. He
exhibits the same qualities of quaintness, profound learning, grave meditation, and quiet
humour.

Works:

a) Religio medici
b) Pseudodaxia Epidemica or Vulgar Errors
c) Hydriotaphia
d) The garden of Cyrus

John Milton:

He was not only a great poet, but he was also a great prose writer. A great deal of matter of his
numerous political.

Work:

a) Education and Aeropagitica

2. Writers of Plain Prose:

Thomas Hobbes:

He was a great political theorist of 17th century, was a nobleman tutor and later of the prince of
Wales who became Charles II. He denied from freedom of will. His thesis is that man is selfish
being and I the state nature is hardly better than savage beast.
Works:

a) Letter upon Liberty and Necessity

b) Leviathan
c) Treatise of Human Nature

Lord Clarendon:

Edward Hyde, Lord Clarendon was an English statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and historian who
served as chief advisor to Charles I during the First English Civil War, and Lord Chancellor to
Charles II from 1660 to 1667. He opposed Charles toleration of the Catholics and puritans and
became unpopular.

Works:

History of Rebellion

Izaak Walton:

He was a small tradesman in London who had a passion for fishing, has long been popular with
countless readers who care nothing for the sport, on account of its pleasant gossipy style and
genuine rustic flavour. He also wrote some admirable biographies.

Works:

“The compleat Angler” or “The contemplative Man’s Recreation”