Metaphysical, Cavalier, And Puritan Poetry 2011
-
Upload
pierce-connell -
Category
Documents
-
view
222 -
download
2
Transcript of Metaphysical, Cavalier, And Puritan Poetry 2011
Metaphysical, Cavalier, and Puritan Poetry
Metaphysical Poetry
• Metaphysical = after or following the physical; a branch of philosophy that seeks to know what is truly “real”
• Characteristics:– Use of argument: appeals to intellect and
emotions– Use of comparison: metaphysical conceit
(extended metaphor that compares 2 very unlike things)
– Use of language: plain style
John Donne• B. 1572; Roman
Catholic at a time when England was anti-Catholic
• “Conceited verses” written in younger years (“The Flea”)
• Poor (lost his government position due to scandal); became very depressed
John Donne• Friends urged him to
enter the ministry because of the power of his religious poems
• Became a minister at 43; soon became chaplain to King James I
• By the time he died (1631), was considered the greatest preacher in England
“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
Valediction = farewell statement
• Written for his wife just before he left for France; purpose was to ease his wife’s fears of a premonition she had about his trip
• Metaphysical conceit = lovers to the feet of a compass
“Death Be Not Proud”
• Written soon after his wife’s death• Donne’s thoughts on immortality and
religious faith• Personification
“Meditation 17”
• At age 51, Donne became seriously ill• Wrote “Meditation 17” as he was
recovering• Meditation = short sermon; expresses his
thoughts on his illness and experience• Bells = signal death; villagers knew to pray
for the soul of the dead/dying• Extended metaphysical conceit
Ben Jonson• Large man; fiery temper• Self-taught (no money for
formal education); apprenticed with a bricklayer, entered army
• Began acting/writing in early 20s
• First big success at age 26 (play that featured Shakespeare in a leading role)
Ben Jonson• Killed a fellow actor in a duel and was
sentenced to death• Because he could read Latin, was
allowed to be tried in church court• Church court overturned death
sentence; branded on the thumb as a convicted felon
• Resented comparisons to Shakespeare (Jonson was more respected at the time)
• Age 49—King James I gave him a lifetime pension (he’d always be able to write)
• Took a year off, but when he returned, his writing had gone out of style; spent the last 20 years of his life trying to regain his former status
“On My First Son” / “Song: To Celia”
• Elegy = poem expressing mourning• Son, Benjamin, died of the plague in 1603,
on his 7th birthday• “Benjamin” (Hebrew) = “Child of my right
hand”
• Unrequited love• Ambrosia = drink of the gods (immortality)
Cavalier Poetry
• Writers affiliated with King Charles I’s court
• Characteristics:– Carpe diem = “seize the day”– Intended to entertain audience rather than
instruct it– Conversational style– Popular themes were love and loyalty– Could be serious or sarcastic
Robert Herrick• Anglican priest• Needed money; took a ministerial job in
a quiet country parish far from London• Was miserable and lonely, so he turned
to poetry• Wrote poems to his pet pig, cat, dog,
maid, neighbors, and imaginary girlfriends
• After many years and 1200 poems, returned to London; wasn’t able to publish his poetry
• London had changed; took his old parish job back 10 years later
• “To the Virgins, Make Much of Time”
Andrew Marvell
• Brilliant writer of lyric poetry and prose
• Always managed to land on his feet, no matter what political upheavals took place (good connections)
“To His Coy Mistress”
• “Coy” = flirty but shy• “Mistress” = ma’am, miss; sometimes
sweetheart
• Published after his death; his maid had it published, and in the introduction she described him as her husband (secret marriage)
• Few believed this, never proven
The Puritans
• Wanted to “purify” the Church of England by eliminating Roman Catholic traditions
• Puritans = Protestants– Protestants rejected belief in the Pope– Didn’t like the “top-to-bottom” hierarchy of the
RC church; wanted “bottom-to-top”• Elizabeth I, James I tolerated Puritans;
Charles I wanted to bring back RC traditions, so some Puritans left for America
The Puritans• Puritans who stayed in England gained political
power• 1649—King Charles I found guilty of treason;
beheaded• Commonwealth (new government) headed by
Oliver Cromwell– Tried to make English society conform to their strict
Puritan beliefs (no holiday celebrations, no dancing, no playing chess, no public theaters)
• Commonwealth was unpopular; in 1660, monarchy was restored (Charles II)
John Milton• Declared at age 21 he’d
be a “great poet”• At 30 he traveled to
Europe to study; religious/political upheavals called him home
• Gave up all other writing to create pamphlets in defense of religious and civil freedoms
• Neglected poetry for 20 years (held govt positions)
• Went blind at age 44
John Milton• In 1660 (end of
Commonwealth), had time to devote to writing (was 52)
• Charles II had him arrested as a traitor; friends in high places saved him from hanging, but he had to pay heavy fines that left him broke
• Dictated Paradise Lost to his daughters
Paradise Lost
• Epic poem = long narrative poem that tells, in a serious tone and stately language, heroic exploits and dramatic events
• Begins with an invocation of the Muse and a statement of purpose
• 10,565 lines long• Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
Paradise Lost• Depicts the fall of Adam and Eve• Satan (as a snake) tempts Adam and Eve
to commit original sin (eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge)
• Also gives background: a description of Hell at the time Satan and other rebellious angels were first driven from Heaven
• Paradise Regained, his next epic poem, depicts Christ’s temptation
John Bunyan
• Grew up in poverty• Only received a very basic education; left
school at an early age to work• Grew up to be on of England’s best-known
nonconformist preachers• Arrested for preaching without a license at
the age of 32
John Bunyan
• Refused to renounce his faith; spent 12 years in prison
• Pardoned at the age of 42• Arrested again 4 years later and
imprisoned again for his beliefs
The Pilgrim’s Progress• allegory—work in which characters and settings
are symbols aimed at teaching a moral lesson• Character names indicate the quality they
represent• Main character is named Christian; on a journey
to the Celestial City• Christian meets Faithful, who joins him on the
journey. • Together, they stop at the town of Vanity.