17th and 18th Century Poetry (1660-1798)
1. Background
New literary movements emerged after the restoration period:
- The Enlightenment was a movement that sparked new confidence in human ability, leading to a wave of inventions, research, and new ideas.
- Mass media production emerged with the rise of the printing press , which quickly spread written works like novels, essays, satire, journalism, etc to the common man.
Notable people in the Enlightenment movement include:
- John Locke was an English philosopher who wrote the famous Theory of Rights stating that all humans shall have the "rights of life, liberty and property."
- Voltaire was a French writer who attacked the Catholic Church by advocating for freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and separation of church and state.
- Isaac Newton published a study of gravity.
2. Monarchs/Rulers
- Elizabeth I
- James I
- Charles I
- Oliver Cromwell
- Charles II
- James II
- William & Mary
- Anne
- George I
- George III
My method of memorizing the monarchs goes like this:
E JC O CJ WAGG
First part:
- Symmetry at the O
- Before the O is I
- After the O is II
Second part:
- What a dog does to its tail (Remember the 2 G's!)
3. Cavaliers vs. Roundheads (Puritans)
Opposing views of ideology in the English Civil War..
Cavaliers
- Loyalty to English King, Charles I
- Anglican worship similar to Catholic
- Preferred the Old Church with classical styles
Roundheads
- Loyalty to Parliament
- Consisted of Puritans
- Desired newer simpler churches and forms of worship
4. Puritans
Centered around a "pure" interpretation of the Bible and believed that newer faiths corrupted the world.
John Milton
- Most notable puritan writer, serving under Oliver Cromwell
- Wrote epic "Paradise Lost" to "justify the ways of God to men"
5. Writings
Holy Sonnet X
Death is slow, soul reawakens, death can't happen again.
Virtue
"Sweet/natural" affiliation to nature.
To his Coy Mistress
Compliments a mistress.
A Modest Proposal
Satire essay backed by numbers.
Lower class sacrifice for upper class.
Elements of Gripe
- Generalization
- Reversal of Incongruity
- Parody
- Exaggeration
William Blake's 3 Poems
The Tyger, The Lamb, The Poison Tree.