Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
In the Renaissance, people's mentalities changed: because of discoveries & inventions in different fields they started measuring the world around them, discovering the visible + invisible world. Travel writing was becoming popular. Authors included various topics politics, social structure, religion & religion vs. science, ethics, morality, the human mind so basically, more focus on Man and less on God.
o o o
18-126: addressed to a young man, expressing the poets love for him 127-152: written to the poets mistress expressing his strong love for her 153-154: allegorical
The final 30-or-so sonnets discuss a number of issues, such as: The young mans infidelity with the poets mistress Self-resolution to control his own lust Beleaguered criticism of the world
Form: 3 quatrains (which appear as one stanza) + a couplet (the solution or the summarized idea); Rhyme: abab cdcd efef gg
8. Who was Thomas More and what was his contribution to English literature?
Thomas More was a writer in the Renaissance period. He was a pioneer of travel writing and a political critic of the English monarchy He was involved in the scandals between the Church and King Henry VIII: he opposed the King's divorce and his second marriage because of that he was beheaded
His most famous work is Utopia: we believe the term 'utopia' was coined by More himself; Utopia = nowhere land, imaginary society
the search for Utopia = the search for the perfect government (equal right for men and women, free will in religion) Political science fiction 2 books: o Book 1 analyses the evils of his age in an ironic, realistic manner o Book 2 is satirical state with religious tolerance, physical comforts, honesty and good faith Translated into many language and an inspiration to many other authors (Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe; Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels; William Golding's Lord of The Flies; Aldous Huxley's Brave New World;)
It is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical, realistic and humorous. It depicts the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his/her wits in a corrupt society.
10. Discuss the metaphysical school of poetry and point out the main authors.
Metaphysical poetry = the Stuart age The metaphysical poets were a loose group of British lyric poets of the 17th century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them. These poets themselves did not form a school or start a movement; most of them did not even know or read each other. The term Metaphysical is misleading it means something beyond the physical world, but none of this poets were interested in metaphysics (nowadays the term is used in connection with the poets; it has nothing to do with what is beyond physical). they rejected the conventional elements of Elizabethan poetry metaphysical conceits: unusual images (comparison whose ingenuity is more striking than its justness), farfetched comparisons, joining things that are primarily unlike
The authors: JOHN DONNE: His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons. Common subjects of Donne's poems are love (especially in his early life), death (especially after his wife's death), and religion.[7] John Donne's poetry represented a shift from classical forms to more personal poetry. GEORGE HERBERT: playing with the shapes and sounds of words
RICHARD CRASHAW: used erotic terms to make tension between secular and divine (ecstasy, martyrdom, bliss of suffering) HENRY VAUGHAN THOMAS CAREW: themes of rejected love and expressing passion
He wrote: The Flea A Valediction Forbidding Mourning: a song, in which he used unusual images and conceit Songs and Sonnets: he created 40 new stanza forms; passion, feeling and sensuality are all subjected to wit Elegies: Elegy XIX Going to Bed; is written in courtly love tradition (Christian nations in which the love of the woman is transformed into a religious symbol) Divine Poems: He was not witty anymore, but became spiritual, religious and metaphysical. The 19 holy sonnets are preoccupied with eternity, death and spirituality. The poems explore the paradox which he was fond of- contradictions, argumentations, abrupt openings, dramatic monologues. He also uses typical rhetorical manners, apostrophes, imperatives.
His life and work were affected by: political turbulence religious conflicts (he didn't know whether to become a priest or not) the loss of his sight
He wrote a famous political speech Areopagitica, in which he fights for the right of free speech, because the Parliament wanted to introduce censorship. He produced many works of puritan rebellion. His first poems were in Latin and Italian -> classical basis but modernity brought from Italy His most famous works: On the Morning of Christ's Nativity L'allegro and Il Penseroso Masques Lycidas His sonnets: On His Blindness On His Deceased Wife On Time On The Late Massacre in Piemont PARADISE LOST Paradise Regained Samson Agonistes
I think mentioning Paradise Lost and its sequel, Paradise Regained is enough for this question.
Paradise regained the sequel to Paadise Lost Christ ends the reign of Satan.
Goldsmith was active in drama, poetry and fiction of the pre-Romantic period. His works include sentimentality, melancholy, simple life with a bit of EXOTIC He had an elegiac rhythm
His works: Poetry -- The Deserted Village: idealization of nature (rural life = simplicity, pleasure rather than hard work), contrast between idyllic past and harsh reality of the present Drama: comedy She Stoops to Conquer: was very successful at the time; basically it's about a woman who pretends she is of a lower rank (=stoops to a lower level to conquer) so that the main character, Marlo, isn't shy in front of her. In the end she conquers him. o This play is a reaction to the sentimental comedy, Goldsmith ridicules its manner. Fiction: novel The Vicar of Wakefield: a pastoral parable, an improbable fairy-tale of a vicar whose family is beset by misfortune; the vicar is the epitome of goodness, but gets cheated upon, loses his fortune, finds himself in prison etc. He cannot understand why God punishes him, but in the end he gets a reward his daughter gets married and his son gets out of prison. o The vicar is a moral figure; many other figures are based upon him.
16. What were the types of restoration drama and its main authors (one representative for each type)?
Two categories: TRAGEDY (John Dryden, Thomas Otway): focused on personal life (suicide, remorse, failure); a short re-awakening of the classical spirit; o the Elizabethan domestic tragedy form George Lillo (the first spokesman of the middle class in theatre, spoke against aristocratic ideas, ignored by the British theatre) COMEDY OF MANNERS (William Wycherley, William Congreve, Sir George Etherege,): directly mirrors the manners of the upper-class: o satire emphasizing corruption o romantic comedy about love in the world of money and laws
18. What is the Graveyard School of Poetry? Who are its main authors?
The Graveyards poets were a number of pre-Romantic English poets of the 18th century characterized by their gloomy meditation on morality in the context of the graveyard. They were preoccupied with the themes of death, morbidity, and delightful gloom, the sense of Weltschmerz devoted to investigation of melancholy and clinical states of mind.
Authors: Thomas Gray (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard) Edward Young (The Complaint or Night Thoughts) Robert Blair (The Grave)
20. What is a sentimental novel and who are its main authors (briefly discuss the work of Laurence Sterne)?
It's an 18th century literary genre which celebrates the emotional and intellectual concepts of sentiment, sentimentalism, and sensibility. The romance, memories, letters, journals.
Along with a new vision of love, sentimentalism presented a new view of human nature which prized feeling over thinking, passion over reason, and personal instincts of "pity, tenderness, and benevolence" over social duties. Authors: DANIEL DEFOE Robinson Crusoe (symbolical drama going to sea is an act of rebellion) SAMUEL RICHARDSON - the hero is usually preoccupied with his or her love and love sufferings. Pamela=letters JONATHAN SWIFT Gulliver's Travels HENRY FIELDING first great comic novelist in England LAURENCE STERNE: founding father of the 20th century stream-of-consciousness novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman: o the greatest reflexive novel o a parody of contemporary conventions of the novel as a genre o its organization lies in the consciousness of the narrator o digressions bring about a hundred topics all mixed together o influenced by John Locke's essay on human understanding every man lives in a world of his own, is a prisoner of his private inner world, which is also his own creation
OLIVER GOLDSMITH, THOBIAS SMOLLETT ugly aspects of life; life is presented as it is; HENRY MACKENZIE; SARAH FIELDING
21. Point out at least 5 differences between the Augustan age and the Romantic age.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. AA - literature reflected society; RA - literature 'reformed' society (preface, Shelley's ''Prometheus Unbound'') AA - classical themes, influences; RA - moving away from the classical, rediscovery of the local AA - desire for order and balance in measure; RA - the indefinite and boundless AA - intellect prevailed; RA - emotion and imagination prevailed AA - relies on reason and fact, not speculation; RA - desires and dreams, the visionary, mystical AA - trying to frame rules of writing; RA - rejecting the rules of poetic diction (W. Wordsworth's preface to the 2nd edition of ''Lyrical Ballads'')
22. Which were the main features and main authors of the Augustan Era?
Don't forget that Augustan Era = Restoration = Age of Reason = Neoclassical Age Writers in the Augustan Age tended to distrust the imagination and prefer to write within the limits of logic and common sense. The century was therefore also called The Age of Reason. The respect for the cities reached its height as a result of the new importance of the industry. Mountain scenery was considered boring by the writers. They had very little interest with the concerns of the individuals. The subject matter was always the life of their own times. Authors: Alexander Pope (The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad) John Dryden (The Hind and the Panther, Absalom and Achitophel, MacFlecknoe, The Wild Gallant) Jonathan Swift (Gullivers Travels, A Tail of a Tub)
23. Compare the works of Robert Browning and Lord Alfred Tennyson.
B T medieval legends, classic myths influence of Romantic poets (direct continuation of romanticism) blank verse reflects the Victorian period Dramatic monologues not what the speaker directly reveals but what he gives away when speaking about past actions Rather than thinking out loud, the character composes a self-defense which the reader, as "juror," is challenged to see through. extreme psychotic characters irregular rhythm
Browning used dramatic monologues which are effective because the setting, audience and nuances (= razliica, uinek) of language contribute to their meaning. The monologues enabled him to explore extreme and usually extremely morbid states of mind. He used different characters and a range of different voices which did not allow the reader to identify the speaker with the author- they act as a kind of a mask that allows the author to explore the human soul without being too personal. His poetry is written in a tradition which includes the soliloquies of Shakespeare and the poetry of John Donne. They used colloquial language and contrasting stylistic tones which were often shocking and unpredictable. Tennysons observation was deeply felt and personal. He viewed Nature as being violent and threatening rather than being the solace and inspiration as it was to Wordsworth. His emotion was recollected in regret, sense of lost, doubt and anxiety- there is a tone of melancholy which contrasts with the Romantic optimism, commitment and wit. He wrote dramatic monologues which illustrate his musicality and his belief that language should recreate the sights, sounds and rhythms of the vision of life. His dramatic monologues were simpler than those of R. Browning and were usually based on classical legend and the classical hero proclaims a view of life which is the reason for the poem: man should pursue knowledge and experience in spite of danger. He was more concerned with sensations than with ideas and was also accused of sentimentality. His emotion was contained although strongly felt. He was capable of bringing together sound and sense, mood and atmosphere and making and appeal to the emotions of the reader. His poetry is emotive rather than intellectual.
The main poets of this movement were William Blake, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, John Keats and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
A range of ideas; from the supposed glory of war and heroism to fidelity in love and oriental exoticism
His work: Poems: attracted very little attention Endymion: a poetic Romance: extensive use of Greek mythology; search for an ideal love and happiness beyond earthly possibility o Theme: A shepherd's love for the Moon and his search for her Lamia and Other Poems (Ode to a Nightingale; Hyperion; Isabella,): Keats develops a poetic language; everything in the poems is balanced; Keats's odes are considered to be the best of short poems in the century o elusive beauty: tends to escape from whoever wants to possess -> the subject of Keats's ballads written between 1818-1820 La Belle Dame sans Merci: his most famous ballad; full of magical and fantastic images; Keats uses unfamiliar vocabulary: OE words, archaisms o Themes: Dream vs. reality Imagination vs. actuality Superstition vs. supernatural o Influenced Robert Graves and the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
32. What is the definition of the epistolary novel and who were its main authors?
An epistolary novel is written in the form of letters that imposes certain constrains but also makes possible an extreme form of realism (letters are credible documents), provides basis for more intimate correspondence. Two authors who used wrote epistolary novels in the Restoration prose were: Samuel Richardson: o Pamela almost all letters come from the heroine alone o Clarissa besides Clarissa, there are three others letter writers multiple viewpoints Tobias Smollett:
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker ironic + epistolary: Richardson's epistolary method, but the characters correspond only one way, each writes to a confidant outside the story the characters never receive an answer, the reader has to participate more actively.
33. Discuss political, economic and social circumstances at the making of the English novel.
NOTE: this was Googled, not taken from notes since I couldn't find anything in them relating to the question itself.
Authors in the 18th century narratives often compared their plots to machines They used mechanical metaphors in the wake of the scientific revolution the machine became the dominant model for understanding the organization of nature and became prominent in everyday cultural life. However, this idea -- of the world being a piece of clockwork and the people its many parts challenged: o Traditional religious conceptions of the freedom of will o and newer political principles protecting the right of the individual to resist the domination of absolute power The definition of the novel as a genre in the 18 th century resulted from attempts to reconcile the contradictions between notions of individual freedom and the new, mechanical understanding of nature. Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, though celebrated for its 'clockwork' form, was in fact written as a response to the mechanization of the theatre (e.g. pantomimes), which seemed to be threatening the professional integrity of actors and authors. In Tristram Shandy, Laurence Sterne repeatedly invokes machines as metaphors for narrative, but then shows that the "sunshine" and "soul" of the reading experience is to be found in those moments when the narrative machine breaks down into digressions.
34. What was the concept and main features of Pre-Raphaelian Brotherhood?
It was established by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais. It was a group of artists active in the middle of the nineteenth century. Their goal was to resist modern art conventions by a return to the pre-Renaissance art forms involving vivid colours and details. They wanted to replace the conventionalism of the contemporary poetry, they tried to achieve verisimilitude (imitative representation of the object discussed) in their works. They found their models in Italy, in the early Renaissance artists, especially in Raphael (but only in Raphaels pre-Roman period; this also led to the creation of the groups name). They used themes from classical mythology, legends and Dantes works- these themes were dealt with in a pathetic style with an element of naivety- that is why the art of the pre-Raphaelite seems too sentimental. Many of their works were inspired also by Keats- they said that he was painting with words and that his poetry was charged with magic. Their opinion was that the creed (=preprianje) had to be lived up to and the technical expertise is of minor importance. The Brotherhood was publishing a magazine called The Germ (there were only 4 issues published in 1850).
35. Which were the two literary trends in the Victorian period?
1. 2. associated with intellectual production; the need for objectivity, standard of balance and precision (Robert Browning) idealistic, spontaneous; direct continuation of romanticism; the cult of beauty; sympathy with emotions (lord Alfred Tennyson)
Victorian poetry: nostalgic sentiments for the Middle Ages religious scepticism concerned with the search of identity, meaning of life respect for romantics the duty of the poet is to present the world around him and not his own soul (Restoration period) poetry is deliberately didactic one of the distinctive poetic forms is the dramatic monologue (origins are perhaps in Elizabethan drama)
36. What was the intention of Theatre's Licensing Act and what were its consequences?
The Theatres Licensing Act was introduced by Lord Chamberlain in 1737 as a result of the social, legal, economic and political conditions of the time, as well as the reactions to literary works that involved these issues. The intent was to maintain control to silence all political and religious satire and sexual immorality on stage. The act gave Lord Chamberlain the power to approve any play before it was staged. The Licensing Act had profound influence on English literature and has served as a model in many other western societies. The consequences: o The public mistrusted plays that passed the censors o The theatres had to stage revivals production of Shakespeare's plays became much higher o Additionally, the act diverted politically interested authors from the stage and into writing novels (e.g. Fielding, Brooke). Some of them never even approached the stage (Tobias Smollett, Laurence Sterne)