„Dunărea de Jos”

University of Galati
Faculty of Letters

ENGLISH LITERATURE
(17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES)

PORTOFOLIO

Scientific coordinator, Student,

IOANA IVAN MOHOR ANDREEA-PETRINA IVAN

Galati
2022
CONTENT

1. A. The Lyric Mode during the 17th century: Cavalier vs. Metaphysical
poetry
B. Illustrate its characteristics through a comparative analysis of two texts
(open choice from Cavalier and Metaphysical poems).

2. A. John Milton: from lyric poetry to the epic.

B. Compare and contrast one poem illustrative for Milton’s pre-
Restoration verse with one of his epic poems.

3. A. Neoclassical Satire: John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift

B. Compare and contrast two texts representative for the genre, one
belonging to the Restoration, the other to the Augustan age (open choice).

4. A. Restoration Drama: the heroic tragedy vs. the comedy-of manners.

B. Illustrate the differences between the two by comparing and
contrasting two plays of your own choice.

5. A. The Rise of the 18th – century English Novel and its Pioneers (Defoe,
Richardson, Fielding, Sterne)
B. Illustrate the difference in themes, narrative techniques and point-of-
view between two of the above-mentioned authors through textual
analysis (open choice).

6. A. Varieties of novel writing in the Age of Sensibility: the sentimental

novel, the Gothic novel, the regional novel/the historical novel, the
domestic novel/the novel of manners
B.Choose two types of novels and illustrate the difference in themes,
narrative techniques and point-of-view through textual analysis (open
choice).
 1. A. The Lyric Mode during the 17th century:
Cavalier vs. Metaphysical poetry

Two forces opposed each other in 17th century England over a range of
cultural, religious and political issues. One group, members of royalty or royal
sympathizers, supported the reign of Charles I. The other group consisted of
deeply religious people who were mostly middle class and sympathetic to a
Puritan form of Protestantism. Most, but not all, 17th century English poets
wrote from the perspective of one of these two groups. The royalists were
known as "Cavalier poets," and the religious poets were referred to as
"Metaphysical poets. "
Cavalier Poets
 group of young men loyal of the king
 Poetry characterized by great wit and intended to entertain the audience
o Conversational style
o Elaborate conceiAts
o Admiration for the classics: regular rhythm and simple language
o Themes of love and sometimes sarcastic commentaries on pursuit
of fickle women
Metaphysical Poets
 Philosophical approach to everyday subjects
 Striking comparisons
 Conversational style
 Poetry: takes the form of an argument appealing to both intellect and
emotion; subject matter is serious and complex.
 The metaphysical conceit
o Witty comparison between two dissimilar things
o Takes thought and imagination to unravel
o Is important to understanding the poet’s argument
 1. B. Illustrate its characteristics through a comparative
analysis of two texts

”To Celia” by Ben Johnson & Batter my Heart by John Donne

I find some differences between Cavalier poems and Metaphysical

poems.
Cavalier poems are strictly coherent to forms, meters, rhymes,when
Metaphysical poems are intentionally irregular in forms, meters. rhymes etc.
”To Celia” by Ben Johnson is from Cavalier poems. This poem is a graceful
metrical verse. It’s basic rhythm is iambic. Every single-line has four feet while
a couplet has three feet. Its rhyme is abcbabcb which is popular in English
Renaissance.
While in Metaphysical poems, Donne forms spondee by many
monosyllable verbs in poems, such as Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter my heart, to
convey the poets' hope for God to save them and let them reborn. As is
traditional for English-language sonnets, the poem has 14 lines
of rhymed iambic pentameter. This simply means that each line has five feet in a
"da-DUM" rhythm. Its rhyme scheme is based on that used by Petrarch, with an
added hint of Shakespeare—the two most famous sonnet writers in Italian and
English.
 2. A. John Milton: from lyric poetry to the epic.

Milton is unquestionably one of the best poets in English literature. He is

only second to Shakespeare in terms of popularity. He was born in London
in 1608, and went to Christ's College, Cambridge, for his education. Milton
was known as The Lady of Christ's at the College because he was
exceedingly handsome as a young man. He was a well-educated man who
had spent his childhood studying the Bible in depth at home.
He studied at home in Horton after quitting the University. He led a moral
and upright life. He was a driven man who aspired to write something
significant that would bring glory to his homeland. In order to achieve this
lofty goal, he wrote Paradise Lost, a work that can be compared to almost
anything else.
First Group- Shorter Poems
Milton studied Greek, Latin, English, French, and Italian poets at Horton
College. L Allegoro (the cheerful man) is a pastoral short poem on the joys
of life in the country during the spring season. IL Penseroso (the pensive
guy) describes his daytime study and evening visits to a church throughout
the autumn season. Milton also composed a large number of sonnets and
lyric poems. His notable sonnets include 'On Shakespeare' and 'On His
Blindness.' The second is an autobiographical poem he wrote after he went
blind. Lycidas is a somber pastoral about his undergraduate friend Edward
King's death.
Second Group- Prose Work
Milton's prose work is classified as part of his second group of works. They
are primarily concerned with church matters, divorce, and personal liberty.
The Areopagitica, A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing is
possibly his best prose effort. Milton is pleading for freedom of expression
in this work. This is excellent writing, with less of the aggressive language
found in the other pamphlets. Calm reasoning and flowing language
combine well together, and the style is straightforward. Through his
political writings, he supported Cromwell and his parliamentarians during
the English Civil War.
Third Group- Three Greatest Poems