1. 1625-1798

2.  Civil War—war within a country  Monarchy—leadership of one  Parliament—ruling body  Puritans—”purify” the Church of England from within  Dissenters—those who disagreed with radical Puritans

3.  English Commonwealth—government that took over after Charles I was beheaded  Restoration—monarchy brought back (restored) with Charles II  Agricultural Revolution—new farm tools, more food produced, rising population  Industrial Age—efficient British machinery after 1750  Enlightenment—scientific revolution that brought about new inventions

4.  Metaphysical Poetry—sharp, witty poetry with an intellectual tone  Arguments  Philosophy  Comparisons  John Donne  Andrew Marvell

5.  School of Jonson  Modeled perfection and harmony in classical authors rather than ornate, Elizabethan style  Powerful literary influence of the time  Ben Jonson  Robert Herrick

6.  Puritan works devoted to God  John Milton’s great epic Paradise Lost tried to explain why God would allow suffering in the world

7.  Favored harmony, restraint, and clarity in literary works  Offered up satire that poked fun at life’s “foibles” (problems, tricky situations) through the use of aphorisms (short, witty, meaning sayings)  Restoration Theater was a fancier, more costly drama experience than that which was popular in Shakespeare’s time  Jonathan Swift—noted satirist with Gulliver’s Travels