The period of english bourgeois revolution and restoration

1.

Senior lecturer: Sartbayeva E.K.

2.

Lecture 5
Literature of the Bourgeois Revolution and
Restoration
1. Historical background: Period of Bourgeois Revolution and Restoration
2. English literature of the 17 century
- Francis Bacon’s writings
- Metaphysical poetry / John Donne
3. Creative activities of John Milton
4. John Milton: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained
• The main concepts: Puritanism, metaphysical poetry, pamphlet

3.

• The English Bourgeois Revolution took place in 1640-
1660. So it happened much earlier than in all the other
European countries. The 1640-1660 years of the 17th
century were the “Years of civil wars”. They ended in
1649 with the creation of the bourgeois republic in
England. King Charles I was beheaded in 1649 and
Oliver Cromwell became the leader of the new
government. But the republic did not last long. In 1660,
shortly after Cromwell's death, the dynasty of the Stuarts
was restored.

4.

In English literature the main representatives
of this period are the following ones:
1) John Milton (1608-1674)
2) John Bunyan (1628-1688)
3) John Dryden (1631-1700)
4) John Donne (1572—1631)
5) Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

5.

JOHN MILTON (1608 -1674)
It is generally agreed that the English
poet second after Shakespeare is
John Milton. He was born in London
and educated at Christ's College,
Cambridge. After leaving the
university, he studied at home in
Horton, Buckinghamshire, and was
grateful to his father for allowing him
to do this instead of preparing for a
profession. He lived a pure life,
believing that he had a great purpose
to complete. At college he was known
as The Lady of Christ’s.

6.

It is convenient to consider his works in three divisions. At first
he wrote his shorter poems at Horton. Then he wrote mainly
proses. His three greatest poems belong to his last group.
At the age of 23 he had still done little in life, and he admits
this in one of his sonnets. In his another sonnet he wrote on his
own blindness (Milton got blind when he worked at
Cromwell's government as a consultant).

7.

Milton wrote different kinds of works. His prose works were
mainly concerned with church affairs, divorce and freedom.
His best prose work is probably the «Areopagitica, A Speech f
or the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing» (1644). This is good
writing, and it contains little of the violent language of his
other pamphlets. The style of this book is quite simple.
Milton's sincere belief in the importance of freedom of writing
and speech fills the book with honest feeling. Here are some
sayings taken from it:
-He who destroys a good book kills reason itself.
-A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit.

8.

The English civil war between Charles I and Parliament
(Cromwell) began in 1642 and lasted until 1646; and it was
followed by “The second civil war, 1648-1651”. During
these years Milton worked hard at his pamphlets,
supported Cromwell, and became a minister of the
government. His eyesight began to fail and by 1651 he
was totally blind. He became unpopular when Charles II
was made king (1660), but it was from this time onwards
that he wrote his three greatest works.

9.

He considered several subjects for this great
poem, and at one time wanted to write on
King Arthur; but he finally chose the fall of
the angels, the story of Adam and Eve, and
their failure to keep God's commands.
This great epic poem, «Paradise Lost»
(«Потерянный рай») (first printed in 1667
and sold for 10 pounds), was planned in ten
books, but written in twelve. The scene is
the whole universe, including Heaven and
Hell. The poem is written in a splendid
blank verse and contains hundreds of
remarkable thoughts put into musical verse.

10.

Milton's other great poem,
«Paradise Regained»
(«Возвращённый рай»)
(published in 1671), is more
severe and less splendid than
«Paradise Lost». Yet the poem
also shows the same splendid
use of proper names.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqg
UsVoLbl4&t=27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl4
e4mF5eMc

11.

"PARADISE LOST"
• "Paradise Lost" was written at the time when the bourgeois revolution
had ended unsuccessfully, but the powerful voice of the poet declared that
the spirit of the revolution was not broken, that it still lived in the hearts of
the people. In his "Paradise Lost“, Milton shows revolt. Being a puritan,
Milton wanted to portray God as an almighty embodiment of Justice, and
Satan as the villain, yet Satan becomes the hero in this great work.
"Paradise Lost" is an epic poem written in 12 "books". The place of action
is the universe. The characters are: Satan and his rebel-angels, God the
Almighty, three guardian angels — Raphael, Gabriel and Michael, and the
first man and woman — Adam and Eve. The revolutionary spirit is shown in
Satan, who revolts against God, draws to his side many rebel-angels and is
driven out of Heaven. Down into Hell they fall. But Satan is not to be
overcome. He hates God who rules the universe autocratically: High on a
throne of royal state, Sole2 reigning, holds the tyranny of Heaven.

12.

"PARADISE LOST"
• The very word "tyranny" makes God a despot and repulsive to the free mind.
Though banished from Heaven, Satan is glad to have pained freedom. He
possesses humane qualities. He pities the rebel-angels who have lost heavenly
life for his sake. He is determined to go on with the war against God. Adam and
Eve are allowed by God to live in Paradise, in the Garden of Eden, as long as they
do not eat the fruit that grows on the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil.
Satan, who has been driven from the Garden of Eden by the guardian angels,
comes back at night as a mist, and then assumes the form of a serpent. Next
morning, while Adam and Eve work in different parts of the Garden, the serpent
rolls towards Eve and persuades her to eat an apple from the Tree of Knowledge.
Eve eats an apple from the forbidden tree and plucks another for Adam. As a
punishment for the sin they have committed, God the Almighty banishes them
from Paradise to the newly-created world, where they are to face a life of toil
and woe. The angel Michael leads them out of Paradise, waving his fiery sword
behind them. From a hill, before parting, Michael shows Adam a picture of the
tyranny and lawlessness which are to befall mankind.

13.

Milton's sympathies are with Adam and Eve, and this shows his faith in man. His Adam and Eve are full of energy.
They love each other and are ready to meet whatever the earth has in store for them rather than part. Adam to Eve:
• O, fairest of creation, last and best
• Of all God's works, creature in whom excelled
• Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,
• Holy, divine, amiable or sweet,
• How can I live without thee, how forego
• Thy sweet converse and love so dearly joyed?
• When they are driven out of Eden, Eve says to Adam:
• . . . . . . . but now lead on;
• In me is no delay; with thee to go
• Is to stay here; without thee to stay
• Is to go hence unwillingly; thou to me
• Art all things under heaven, all place, thou
• Who for my wilful crime art banished hence.

14.

«Samson Agonistes» («Самсон-борец») (1671) is Milton's
tragedy on the Greek model. The play describes the last days
of Samson, when he was betrayed by his wife Da1i1a, was
blind and a prisoner of the Philistine lords; but later a
messenger arrives to say that Samson has pulled down the
whole theatre on their heads and his own. Milton had now been
blind for about 20 years, and about three years later he died (in
poverty as he was not in favour after the Restoration of the
monarchy. He was even almost put to death but escaped this.).
So Samson's sorrows no doubt reminded him of his own, and
some of the lines of «Samson» probably reflect Milton's
personal feelings.

15.

JOHN DRYDEN (1631 -1700)
The ideology of the bourgeois revolution in England was Puritanism.
The puritans at that time were influenced by the trend of the so called «new
church» — the ideas, inspired by the teaching of the famous Jean Calvin
from France. So the «new church» trend was called Calvinism. The
puritans influenced the life in England greatly. And even theatres were
closed at that time. The closing of theatres in 1642 meant that no important
drama was produced in the years before 1660. When Charles II became king
in 1660, the change in English literature was almost as great as the change in
government. For one thing, the theatres opened again, and new dramatists
therefore appeared. But the new drama was in some ways different from the
one of the previous periods. For example, the very theatres, performances,
costumes became much more luxurious.

16.

CALVINISM - also called
PURITANISM - A Puritan was any person who tried to
REFORMED CHRISTIANITY, become purer through worship and doctrine. The Puritans'
is a major branch of Protestantism way of life and set of beliefs were called Puritanism. The
that follows the theological
most important parts of Puritanism were piety (obeying
tradition and forms of Christian
religious rules), dressing simply, and living a modest life.
practice set down by JOHN
All of these groups were devoted to the Bible and to
CALVIN.
It emphasizes the sovereignty of
being morally pure.
God and the authority of the Bible. One of the Puritans' most important beliefs was that every
Calvinism teaches that the glory
person needed to understand the Bible in his own way.
and sovereignty of God should
Puritans tried to live by the Bible's teachings in every way.
come first in all things.
They tried to be morally pure in even the smallest ways.
Calvinism believes that only God
can lead his church—in preaching,
They also tried to be spiritually pure in every way. They
worship, and government.
thought that man existed for the glory of God. They
Calvinism expects social change as
believed that man's most important job in life was to do
a result of the proper teaching and
God's will (what God wanted). By doing God's will, man
discipline of the church.
would be rewarded with happiness in the future.

17.

The tragic drama of this period was mainly made up of
heroic plays. In these plays the characters are splendidly
brave, and the women are splendidly beautiful. There is a
lot of shouting and a good deal of nonsense. The plays are
written in heroic couplets, a form of meter which was
perfected by John Dryden.

18.

John Dryden wrote different plays:
heroic tragedies, musical dramas,
comedies. But in most Dryden's plays
fine speeches and poor ones may
follow each other in a very astonishing
way.
Well most of all Dryden is famous as
the first English literary critic, who
created an immortal gallery of English
writers, such as Shakespeare, Ben
Jonson, John Milton, Spenser, etc.
Besides he is also considered to be the
first writer who worked out the theory
of classicism.

19.

JOHN BUNYAN (1628 -1688)
John Bunyan's prose set an example of clear, simple
expression, especially in «The Pilgrim's Progress» («Путь
паломника») (1678) and «The Holy War» («Священная
война») (1682). His style was influenced by his regular
reading of the Authorised version of the Bible and it reflects its
beauty and earnest simplicity of that translation. Besides from
«The Pilgrim's Progress» came many allegorical names (for
example, Vanity Fair, Doubting Castle, the Slough of
Despond). «The Pilgrim's Progress» was written in the
traditional style of vision. And this book greatly influenced the
writers of other epochs (for example, Pushkin translated the
beginning of the vision in his poem «Странник»).

20.

John Donne (1572 -1631)
John Donne (1572 -1631) was the
greatest a metaphysical poet. He
was brought up as a Roman
Catholic but later joined the
Church of England and became
Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral. His
sermons were very popular, but he
had a great influence as a poet. He
glorified inconstancy and
explored the dark paths of the
mind.

21.

Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon was born on 22nd of January, 1561 in London. Bacon
worked as attorney general and Lord Chancellor of England
resigning after he was found guilty of bribery. This unfortunate twist in
his life brought him together with his true passions i.e. Humanism and
natural philosophy. Francis Bacon was an English man who was
inclined towards the age of Renaissance and arts. He negated the old
fashioned traditions of teachings and believed in the newness of the age.
His inspirations revolved around the Aristotelian ideas of philosophical
quest. Bacon negated the Aristotelianism and idealized the new teachings
of renaissance humanism. He observed the world through the lens of
empiricism.

22.

Francis Bacon being an all-rounder wrote in a way that was suitable for
every profession. He understood the multidimensional society very well.
Bacon often wrote for the court during his career as a statesman and
counsel. In the ear 1584 Francis Bacon wrote his first political
memorandum, a letter of advice to Queen Elizabeth. He even wrote a
speech for entertainment purpose in the year 1592 to celebrate the
anniversary of queen’s coronation. The year 1597 was the year when
Bacon’s first publication, a collection of essays about politics came into
the literary world. The collection was later extended and republished in
1612 and 1625.

23.

He wrote in prose style that fitted every profession. Bacon’s take on
different aspects of life such as Love, Truth and religion is
evident in the literary world. The way Bacon adapted to the
society around him is marvelous and a very evident feature of his
writing style. Bacon stands out in the literary world due to his
unique approach towards thinking.

24.

Bacon grew up studying Aristotle’s philosophical teachings. The desire
of finding answers led him to understand life closely with a different
prism. Opposing the Aristotelian teachings Bacon came up with his
philosophical approach of trying to understand life closely by
experiencing different situations. Bacon simplifies the philosophical
approach for a man to understand properly. His writing is direct and to
the point. His style of writing prose is easily understandable for
example, in “Of Studies,” he writes “Crafty men condemn studies;
simple men admire them; and wise men use them.” This phrase by
Francis Bacon doesn’t require of any analysis in order to understand the
meaning. His writings are self-explanatory and that proves his genius in
the literary world. Bacon writes in a systematic way, without wasting his
words on unnecessary information. His writings showcase how he
moves logically from on subject to another.

25.

He is considered as one of the most important Empiricists in the
philosophical as well as literary world. He takes up his ideas after
experiencing from life and observing it closely. For example in his essay
“Of Love,” he showcases the reality of this emotion that is not just a
fantasy but comprises of both good and bad attributes. He puts forth a
clear vision regarding different subjects of life. Bacon’s take on life is
unique and interesting as his essays are an amalgamation of both Greek
and Latin phrases. A person who is decently educated would be able to
understand his essays as well as the homey imagery took out from
everyday life. He deliberately writes in this manner so that he reaches
out to the masses equally. Be it highly educated or moderately educated.
Bacon was attracted by the beauty of the nature. He merged the beauty
and knowledge of nature in a manner which allows the reader to have a
multidimensional vision of his teachings.

26.

The Metaphysical Poets
• In the late eighteenth century Samuel Johnson coined the phrase "metaphysical poets" to
describe John Donne and a school of poets that had imitated that poet's difficult, yet
forceful style. Others had already noted a "metaphysical" strain in Donne's work and in the
poetry of early seventeenth-century England, a strain that had become less popular during
the Restoration era of the later century, as authors had come to favor a clearer, less
mysterious style. In truth, none of the figures that have been described as "metaphysical
poets" in the early seventeenth century—including George Herbert (1593–1633), Richard
Crashaw, (1613–1649), and Henry Vaughan (1621–1695), among others—were properly
concerned with the subject of metaphysics, at that time a branch of natural philosophy that
treated the underlying or hidden properties of things observed in the natural world. Nor do
many of the poets sometimes connected to this so-called Metaphysical School seem to
share much, beyond the use of certain literary conceits and a taste for ironic and often
highly paradoxical treatments of their subjects. Yet the notion of an early seventeenthcentury group of Metaphysical poets has endured, in part, because of the serious, religious
themes treated in many of these figures' works—themes that differed dramatically from the
secular, often worldly poetry written at the time by a group equally long identified as the
"Cavaliers."

27.

• In the works of the foremost practitioners of the "metaphysical style"—
Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, and Vaughan—certain underlying structural
similarities do seem to exist. One of these similarities is in their frequent
recourse to emblematic modes of expression. Emblems were symbolic
pictures that often contained a motto. They had first appeared in the
Renaissance as a popular pastime, and books of emblems had figured
prominently in courtly and aristocratic culture since at least the early
sixteenth century. In Baldassare Castiglione's classic work, The Book of the
Courtier (1528), for instance, the cultivated circle whose conversations are
recorded in the work spend their evenings unraveling the mysteries
encapsulated in emblems. In the decades that followed, emblems
appeared throughout Europe on many elements of material culture.
Artists inserted them into fresco cycles, or they became popular symbols
incised onto jewelry.