1. Restoration Period

2. When did the Renaissance Period end and the Restoration Period begin
When did the Renaissance Period end and the Restoration Period begin? A number of dates could be used to hallmark the change.

3. The Restoration
Charles II (r )

4. 1625: James I, Elizabeth I’s successor, dies and Charles I, his son, inherits the throne 
Self-righteous, arrogant, and unscrupulous; he had a penchant for making bad decisions. His troubles began the moment he ascended the throne in 1625 upon the death of his father James I. Charles simultaneously alienated both his subjects and his Parliament, prompting a series of events that ultimately lead to civil war, his own death and the abolition of the English monarchy. Charles' problems revolved around religion and a lack of money.

5. 1642
Struggle between the king’s supporters, Cavliers, and the Parliament’s supporters, the Roundheads

6. The English Civil War
Charles I’s clashes with Parliament led to revolt and his execution in 1649.
England is left without a monarch for almost a decade
The Puritan Oliver Cromwell and
Parliament ruled until Cromwell’s
death in 1658, but his policies
had alienated much of the country.

7. The Restoration of the Monarchy 1660
Tired of the wars and contention of the past 20
years, Parliament invited Charles II back from exile
in France
Charles brought back with him
a love of fashion, the arts, and
reopened theaters.
Allowed people to celebrate
holidays.
(All forbidden under Puritan rule)

8. Monarchy of England restored after years of harsh Parliamentary Dictatorship * French influence * Divine Right * Catholic

9. London Disasters: 1664: plague outbreak kills thousands

10. 1666: The Great Fire
    Although the loss of life was minimal (some sources say only sixteen perished), the magnitude of the property loss was staggering. Some 430 acres, as much as 80% of the city proper was destroyed, including 13,000 houses, 89 churches, and 52 Guild Halls. Thousands of citizens found themselves homeless and financially ruined. Burned for four days.

11. More Trouble James II succeeded Charles II in 1685.
1685: James II, Charles II’s brother, becomes
king
A devout Catholic, James
clashed with Parliament over religion.

12. alienates virtually every politically and
* alienates virtually every politically and militarily significant segment of English society * attempts to Catholicize the army and the government * packs parliament with supporters, BUT the final straw…

13. HE HAD A SON THAT WOULD BE RAISED CATHOLIC!
Fear of Catholic tyrannyThe Glorious Revolution of replaced the reigning king, James II, with the joint monarchy of his protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. It was the keystone of the Whig (those opposed to a Catholic succession) history of Britain.
need to understand the deep-seated fear of 'popery' in Stuart England.

14. The Glorious Revolution
In 1688 Parliament invited Mary, the protestant
daughter of the king and her husband,
William of Orange, to rule jointly.
James II fled to France. No
blood was shed and there
was much rejoicing.

15. Limiting Royal Power In 1689 Parliament passed a
Bill of Rights, limiting the power
of the monarchy
In succeeding years, a cabinet
of ministers led by the Prime
Minister would gradually
begin to rule England.

16. Social Trends As agricultural practices improved, towns
and cities grew because less workers were
needed on farms.
Industrialization and inventions
after 1750 led to growth of
large factories in cities
and increased wealth.

17. The Enlightenment--The Age of Reason
“How” questions replaced “Why” questions
about nature, the human body, and the
universe.
Most philosophers and
scientists remained very
religious.
View of God changed,
with Deism becoming
widely accepted
among intellectuals.

18. The Enlightenment--The Age of Reason
Superstitions concerning
natural phenomena
were dispelled.
Edmund Halley predicted
the path of comets
and when they would
occur.

19. The Enlightenment--The Age of Reason
By the end of this era progress, for many,
was equated with misery.
Some began to lose faith in man’s ability
to solve every problem with reason.

20. This is also the period of the American Revolution (Go Yankees
This is also the period of the American Revolution (Go Yankees!); the French Revolution (Cie la guerre!); the Agricultural Revolution (Drive those poor farmers off their land!); and….

21. the Industrial Revolution (Stomp the working classes into the mud and pollute everything!)
Cough, Cough.

22. Hence, another name frequently given to this time period is the Age of…..

24. Writing of the Restoration
The style was witty, sophisticated, and
self-conscious.
There was a fondness for
satire.
Aphorisms—short statements
that express a viewpoint or
truth—were popular.
Samuel Johnson

25. METAPHYSICAL POETRY

26. Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the natural world.
It is the study of being and reality.
It asks fundamental questions such as: “Is there a God?” and “What is man’s place in the universe?”
This study also includes questions of space, time, causality, existence, and possibility.

27. Definition of “metaphysical”:
concerned with abstract thought or subjects, as existence, causality, or truth
designating or pertaining to the poetry of an early group of 17th-century English poets, notably John Donne, whose characteristic style is highly intellectual and philosophical and features intensive use of ingenious conceits and turns of wit

28. Metaphysical poetry was written in the 17th century by British poets.
These poets did not term themselves “metaphysical poets,” the name came much later as Samuel Johnson attempted to classify the type of poetry that came from this period.

29. What is a metaphysical poem?
Metaphysical poetry is concerned with the whole experience of man, but the intelligence, learning and seriousness of the poets means that the poetry is about the profound areas of experience especially - about love, romantic and sensual; about man's relationship with God - the eternal perspective, and, to a less extent, about pleasure, learning and art.

30. concerned with the whole experience of man
poetry is about the profound areas of experience
especially - about love, romantic and sensual
about man's relationship with God
the eternal perspective
to a less extent, about pleasure, learning and art.

31. Metaphysical poems are lyric poems.
They are brief but intense meditations, characterized by striking use of wit, irony and wordplay.
Beneath the formal structure (of rhyme, meter, and stanza) is the underlying (and often hardly less formal) structure of the poem's argument.
Note: that there may be two (or more) kinds of arguments in a poem.

32. LOOKING AT THE POEMS’ ARGUMENTS
Looking at the poets' technique should, perhaps, begin with a consideration of argument.
In a way all of the poems have an argument, but it is interesting or striking in some more than others.

33. Conceit
A conceit is an extended, elaborate metaphor. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that carries on through the entirety of the poem.

34. Metaphysical Conceit
A metaphysical conceit is a conceit where the objects of comparison have no apparent connection. For example, in George Herbert’s poem Praise, he compares God’s generosity to a bottle full of endless tears. Another example is John Donne’s poem The Flea.

35. So what exactly is a “conceit”?
An elaborate, exaggerated metaphor, usually strained or far-fetched in nature, comparing two incredibly dissimilar things.
When the stanza of a poem contains a conceit, the stanza itself can be called a “conceit,” as with the octet in Donne’s Holy Sonnet #6.

36. IMAGERY
You can also consider the imagery used by the poets. Do NOT become bogged down in discussion of single images
Consider, rather, the whole range of sources of imagery each uses.