1. 17th and 18th Century Poets
British Literature

2. A time of War!
1642: Civil war broke out in England between Parliament and King Charles I.
Cavaliers: supporters of the King
Roundheads: supporters of Parliament; leader was Oliver Cromwell
War lasted 6 years and in 1649, King Charles was defeated and beheaded.
Lord Oliver Cromwell seized the throne and served as Lord Protector of England until his death
In 1660, King Charles II of France (who was in exile) returned and assumed the throne of England
1685, Charles II died without an heir. James II (brother) took the throne.

3. A Time of Revolution! 5 major Revolutions took place during this time:
“The Glorious Revolution” 1688: James was deposed in a bloodless coup and his daughter Mary became Queen
Industrial Revolution: The power of steam was discovered and harnessed by James Watt
Agricultural Revolution: because of the power of steam, new and powerful machinery was created to enhance crop rotation and transportation.
American Revolution: England loses the war with America in 1783.
French Revolution: people of Paris stormed the Bastille. King Louis XVI was beheaded.
origins-of-the-french-revolution

4. A Time of Disaster! 1664: The plague strikes again!
1666: Great fire of London, destroying large areas of the city.
Both major disasters were captured by writers of the time (Samuel Pepys)

5. Separation of Church and State!
People got tired of killing in the name of religion, so a separation of Church and State was created. Writers heavily influenced this decision:
John Milton: Paradise Lost
Isaac Newton: Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy (universe governed by natural physics).
/videos/isaac-newton-mini-biography
Alexander Pope: Essay in Man (Deism: belief in a benevolent but detached God)

6. New Literary Forms:
The Heroic Couplet: Iambic pentameter lines linked in rhyming pairs
The Essay and the Novel:
Both came as a result of the demands of the every growing middle class. Both require a literate audience with enough money to spend and leisure time to fill. Audiences like reading about characters similar to themselves
Secular Sermon: Essays that attempt to teach by example.
Novels: quasi-religious narratives about men and women struggling to survive and be virtuous in a world that is hostile, evil, or simply indifferent.

7. Authors we will be discussing:
17th/18th Century Poets:
John Donne
John Milton
Dante Alighieri
Romantic Poets (notes to come);
Percy Byshee Shelley
William Wordsworth
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
***Each heavily influenced Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.