A History of English Literature

Old English Literature – Beowulf c A.D. Middle English Literature – Chaucer – The English Renaissance –Marlowe, Shakespeare, Wyatt, Raleigh, Donne, Jonson, Milton, etc. The Restoration and 18 th Century –Swift, Johnson, Pope The Romantic Period The Victorian Age The Twentieth Century

The Restoration and 18 th Century Called the Restoration because King Charles II returned to the throne. Troubled time: –Wars for 20 years prior –The plague of 1665 –Fire in London in 1666 left 2/3 of population homeless. Yet, the nation grew to be one of the most powerful in the next 20 years.

The Restoration and 18 th Century Sometimes called The Age of Reason Focus on rationalism, science, the physical and mental world, and common sense. No longer interested in emotional, imaginative love poems.

What is rationalism? A view that uses deductive, intellectual, or scientific knowledge to reach a conclusion.

Language Transformation Foreign words continued to change the English language at a rapid rate. Concern over lack of standardization. Language rules became more standardized.

Language Transformation Capital Letters –No longer used at the beginning of every Noun in a Sentence. Commas –Writing was more detailed with long and elaborate sentences and frequent use of commas and punctuation.

Literature of the Time Newspapers were no longer censored and become popular. *A major shift in literary genres occurred. 1. Transition from poetry to prose. 2. Novels and essays on rational thought were popular.

Wit and Satire Wit = cleverness –Valued in writing and speech Wit was used to create satire. Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope were two important witty satirists.

Satire Satire uses humor to criticize and expose faults in an individual or a group in a witty manner. Two types of satire: –1. In Horatian satire, the author mildly pokes fun at a subject. (funny, it’s a joke) –2. Juvenalian satire is harsher and mercilessly criticizes certain practices or characters. (offensive)

Juvenalian Satire

Jonathan Swift Bad poet; great satirist Born in Ireland Difficult childhood –Father died, lived with uncle, very bright but suffered from depression Became Anglican priest but left because he was dissatisfied.

Jonathan Swift Deeply involved in politics and church affairs –Wrote political pamphlets protesting English government policies. –Advocated for the rights of the Irish people –Satirized the abuses of Christianity.

Ireland and England Irish felt England was responsible for their severe economic problems. –English landlords charged Irish high rents –England imposed high taxes on Irish –Strict trade laws –Irish resented England’s dislike of Catholics Swift is Irish and presents his disgust with the English in “A Modest Proposal”.

Jonathan Swift “Satire is the sort of glass wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own.” Gulliver’s Travels humorously parodies society and mankind. “A Modest Proposal” offers a satirical plan for alleviating the plight of the Irish people.

Persona Mask Many authors use a persona to create satire.