4. English Literature from Restoration to Eighteenth Century |A
Historical Survey of English Language and Literature
Exercises
Group A
Multiple
Choice Questions.
Tick
(√) the best answer.
1.
After restoration of King Charles into the throne, a new thought in dramas
emerged which is termed as...........................
a)
Tragedy of Manners
b)
Mystery Plays
c)
Comedy of Manners
d)
Miracle Plays
2.............
make fun of social groups and their fashionable manners.
a)
Tragedy of Manners
b)
Mystery Plays
c)
Comedy of Manners
d)
Miracle Plays
3.
'The Way of the World' is a drama written by.................
a)
William Wordsworth
b)
William Thakeray
c)
William Congreve.
d)
William Butler Yeats
4.
Oliver Goldsmith was the poet, novelist and playwright of the
.................Period.
a)
Victorian
b)
Romantic
c)
Restoration
d)
Modern
5.
Eighteenth century is also known as the ............ in English literature.
a)
age of romance
b)
age of reason
c)
age of culture
d)
age of nature
6.
Coffee houses were famous during the .........century in England.
a)
17th
b)
18th
c)
19th
d)
20th
7.
The
Neoclassical Period begins in 1600 and extends to around............
a)
1783
b)
1784
c)
1785
d)
1786
8.
The
Restoration Period begins in 1660 and extends to around............
a)
1700
b)
1705
c)
1710
d)
1715
9.
The
Augustan Age begins in 1700 and extends to around............
a)
1743
b)
1744
c)
1745
d)
1746
10.
The
Age of Sensibility (or Age of Johnson) begins in 1745 and extends to
around............
a)
1784
b)
1785
c)
1786
d)
1787
11.
In the struggle between the monarchy and the republicans, King Charles was
beheaded on..................and Oliver Cromwell became the Chancellor of
England.
a)
28 January 1649
b)
29 January 1649
c)
30 January 1649
d)
31 January 1649
12.
.........................is not the Feature of the Restoration Period.
a) French influence
b) Formalism
c) New tendencies
d) Age of romance
13.
.........................is not the Feature of the Restoration Period.
a) Realism
b) Reflection of Urban Civilization
c) New style in prose writing
d) old tendencies
14.
The restoration dramas had simple subject matter which adopted a simple and
direct............................style.
a)
prose
b)
poetry
c)
rhyme
d)
lyric
15.
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and
playwright, who dominated the literary scenario of.....................Period.
a)
the Middle English
b)
the Renaissance
c)
the Restoration
d)
the Romantic
16.
William Congreve is taken as a....................dramatist.
a)
howdy
b)
mature
c)
naive
d)
aggressive
17.
Sir George Etherege's first comedy............................was presented on
stage in 1664.
a)
'The Way of the World'
b)
'The Old Double Dealer'
c)
'The Comical Revenge'
d)
'The Old Bachelor'
18.
In.......................play 'The Plain Dealer' the protagonist shows hatred
towards his corrupted society but later he himself becomes corrupt.
a)
Richard Brinsley Sheridan's
b)
Sir George Etherege's
c)
Oliver Goldsmith's
d)
William Wycherley's
19.
..........................achieved popularity as a dramatist in Comedy of
Manners through 'The School for Scandal' and 'The Rivals'.
a)
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
b)
Sir George Etherege
c)
Oliver Goldsmith
d)
William Wycherley
20.
Poet, novelist and playwright, .........................wrote a fine comedy
entitled She Stoops to Conquer.
a)
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
b)
Sir George Etherege
c)
Oliver Goldsmith
d)
William Wycherley
21.
............................three tragedies are the famous tragedies in English
literature, which are: 'Venice Preserved', 'Don Carlos' and 'The Orphan'.
a)
Richard Brinsley Sheridan's
b)
Sir George Etherege's
c)
Oliver Goldsmith's
d)
Thomas Otway's
22.
............................play 'Aurengzebe' is based on a struggle for empire
in India.
a)
John Dryden's
b)
Sir George Etherege's
c)
Oliver Goldsmith's
d)
Thomas Otway's
23.
The Pilgrim's Progress (1675), Grace Abounding, The Life and Death of Mr.
Badman (1680), and 'The Holy War (1682) by............................had
religious themes and are influenced by the Bible.
a)
John Bunyan
b)
Sir George Etherege
c)
Oliver Goldsmith
d)
Thomas Otway
24.
One of the famous essays by.........................is 'Essay on Human
Understanding'.
a)
John Bunyan
b)
John Locke
c)
Oliver Goldsmith
d)
Thomas Otway
25.
..........................wrote a well known diary (published in 1825) which
opens on January 1st, 1660 and ends on May 31st, 1669.
a)
John Bunyan
b)
John Locke
c)
Samuel Pepys
d)
Thomas Otway
26.
........................is known as 'the age of reason' because the writers
emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith.
a)
Fifteenth Century
b)
Sixteenth Century
c)
Seventeenth Century
d)
Eighteenth Century
27.
One of the important aspects of the.........................of the early 18th
century England was the appearance of coffee houses in London.
a)
political history
b)
social history
c)
economical history
d)
religious history
28.
..........................famous poem 'Rape of the Lock' is claimed to be
composed out of gossips heard in a coffee house in London.
a)
John Bunyan's
b)
Alexander Pope's
c)
Samuel Pepys's
d)
Thomas Otway's
29.
"The proper study of mankind is a man" is known as the famous
quotation of............................
a)
John Bunyan
b)
Samuel Pepys
c)
Alexander Pope
d)
Thomas Otway
30.
The poets of the late........................who chose death for their subject
are grouped as Graveyard poets.
a)
15th century
b)
16th century
c)
17th century
d)
18th century
31.
"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' is his most beautiful and famous
poem of.................
a)
Thomas Gray
b) Edward Young
c) Robert Blair
d) Alexander Pope
32.
.......................'Night Thoughts' is about life, death, the future world
and God, which is written in blank verse.
a)
Thomas Gray
b) Edward Young
c) Robert Blair
d) Alexander Pope
33.
In.................................poem, "The Grave', he begs the dead to
come back and tell something about the grave.
a)
Thomas Gray
b) Edward Young
c) Robert Blair
d) Alexander Pope
34.
Richard Steel, Joseph Addition, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Samuel
Richardson, and Lawrence Stern are famous prose writers
of.........................
a)
Fifteenth Century
b)
Sixteenth Century
c)
Seventeenth Century
d)
Eighteenth Century
35.
Richard Steele and Joseph Addison were...............of the periodicals.
a)
journalists
b)
teachers
c)
doctors
d)
social workers
36.
.........................published his periodical essays in 'The Tatler' in
1709.
a)
Thomas Gray
b) Edward Young
c) Richard Steel
d) Alexander Pope
37. Both Richard Steele and Joseph Addison
worked together in the daily periodical..............from 1711 to 1712.
a)
The Times
b)
The Spectator
c)
The New York Times
d)
The Sun
38. 38. ………………….Dictionary of the
English Language was published in 1755.
a) Thomas Gray's
b) Edward Young's
c) Richard Steel's
d) Samuel Johnson's
39.
Another of........................famous satires is 'Gulliver's Travels', which
is in four books and is about Gulliver's voyage to Liliput,
a)
Thomas Gray
b) Jonathan Swift
c) Richard Steel
d)
Samuel Johnson
40.
.......................is the story of a shipwrecked person, who spends 28
years on a Caribbean island with cannibals.
a)
Gulliver's Travels
b) The Plague
c)
Robinson Crusoe
d)
Pamela
41.
.......................by Daniel Defoe is a novel, about a beautiful girl whose
thirst for money corrupts her.
a)
Gulliver's Travels
b) Moll Flanders
c) Robinson Crusoe
d)
Pamela
42. .................................novel
is 'Clarrisa' which is about a beautiful and talented girl Clarrisa.
a)
Thomas Gray's
b) Jonathan Swift's
c) Samuel Richardson's
d) Samuel Johnson's
43. .............................novel
'Pamela' is about a girl named Pamela who is the maid of Squire B's mother.
a)
Samuel Richardson's
b) Jonathan Swift's
c) Thomas Gray's
d) Samuel Johnson's
44.
.............................first novel, 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram
Shandy' is a fine example of meta-fiction.
a)
Samuel Richardson's
b) Lawrence Stern's
c) Thomas Gray's
d) Samuel Johnson's
45.
...........................are about ghosts, witches, supernatural elements,
and dead persons.
a)
The suspense novels
b)
The sentimental novels
c)
The gothic novels
d)
The romantic novels
46.
...........................'The Castle of Otranto' is a novel about the 12th
and 13th centuries. It is about a ghost that lives in an old building and
haunts beautiful ladies in the area.
a)
Horace Walpole's
b) William Beckford's
c) Ann Radcliffe's
d)
Thomas Gray's
47.
........................Vatek' is about a man, Vatek, who visits the hell and
is punished for his crimes.
a)
Horace Walpole's
b) William Beckford's
c) Ann Radcliffe's
d)
Thomas Gray's
48.
........................... greatest novel 'The Mysteries of Udolpho' is set in
mountains. It describes the life of a girl, Emily, who is held by her aunt's
husband in a dark castle.
a)
Horace Walpole's
b) William Beckford's
c) Ann Radcliffe's
d)
Thomas Gray's
49.
William Blake is a Poet of the Transition Period.
a)
William Beckford
b) William Blake
c) Ann Radcliffe
d)
Horace Walpole
50.
Poetical Sketches (1783), Songs of Innocence (1789), Songs of Experience
(1789), Prophetic Books, which include The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790),
America (1793), The Book of Uri Zen (1794), The Book of Los (1795), The French
Revolution (1793), The Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), and The
Europe (1794) are the works of.........................
a)
Horace Walpole
b) William Beckford
c) William Blake
d) Thomas Gray
51.
The restoration period was a time when there was changing patterns of thou' and
'you'.
a)
the Middle English
b)
the Renaissance
c)
the Restoration
d)
the Romantic
52...............................introduced
heroic couplet which reinforced simplicity, harmony and balance in language.
a)
Horace Walpole and William Beckford
b) Alexander Pope and John Dryden
c) William Blake and Thomas Gray
d) Thomas Gray and Horace Walpole
Group
B
Answer
the following questions.
1.
What are the features of Restoration English Literature?
In
the struggle between the monarchy and the republicans, King Charles was
beheaded on 30 January 1649 and Oliver Cromwell became the Chancellor of
England. Cromwell's Commonwealth government could rule England only for eleven
years. Charles II was restored to the throne after his departure. Thus, it is
known as restoration. The Commonwealth period was a dark period in terms of
literary creation but after the restoration, creativity took momentum and poets
and writers became active in the field of literature again.
The
restoration period is known as the period of reason and was based on the facts
rather than speculation. The decades between 1660 and 1700 are known as the
period of restoration. This period was credited for transformation of the
society to the new thoughts. The growth of literary genres such as drama,
prose, poetry, essay, and novel was looked from the reasoning perspective to
the new height in this age. The main characteristics of this period can be
presented as follows:
a)
French influence: The writings of this period were much influenced by the
French writers in poems and plays basically from the writings of Pascal, To
Bossuet. Fenelon, Malherbe, Corneille, Racine, Moliere, and others. Here, many
English writers revised the rule, copying the French trends without any
evidence or logical sequence.
b)
Formalism: The writings of this period focused on closed reasoning rather than
romantic fancy and use of short cut sentences without an unnecessary word. The
influence could be seen in the writings of the Royal Society which had reformed
in its prose writings. It bound all its members to use a close, naked and
natural way of speaking. The use of heroic couplet is found to be used by the
poet John Dryden in this period.
c) New tendencies: This age is known as the age of new tendencies where several
newer practices were found. Literature was perceived as a progressive art.
Tendencies of realities, tendencies of preciseness and elegance of appearance
were practised by the writers like John Dryden.
d)
Age of reason: The writers of this period used logical sequence, argumentative
thoughts, and reason-based ideas. The use of imagination, emotional feeling,
and classical writings were replaced by reason based writings in this period.
e) Realism: The early restoration writers explored to paint realistic pictures
of a corrupt court and society; and shared the ideas in writings particularly
in poetry and drama that had moral significance. The other traditions were
directness and simplicity of expression in writings of literary genre in the
period.
f)
Reflection of Urban Civilization: The writers of this period believed that the
standard form of writing or literature had to reflect urban civilization,
aristocratic class or rich people. Most of the writers used the images of the
civilized aristocratic upper-class society in their writings.
g) New style in prose writing: This age is known as the age prose. Dryden
developed the comedy of manners in the field of prose and Samuel Peppy
popularized diary writing. Prose writing was so popular in the period that most
of the writers contributed to the field.
2.
What do you mean by Restoration Drama? Explain briefly.
The
restoration dramas had simple subject matter which adopted a simple and direct
prose style. Along with simplicity, the tendency to vulgar realism in the drama
was adopted in this period. The tragic dramas of this period were made up
mainly of heroic plays. In heroic plays, men were very brave and the women were
splendidly beautiful.
These
plays are called heroic plays because they are written in heroic couplets; and
end rhyming couplets, a form of meter highly practised by John Dryden. Heroic
plays rhyme in pairs like: aa bb cc... The subjects of heroic plays are love
and battle for a good purpose. The major dramatists of this period were: John
Dryden, William Congreve, and others.
There appeared a great change in the literature of
this period. Previously closed theatres were opened again. New groups of
writers began to write plays. We generally notice two kinds of developments in
this period namely the Heroic plays and the Comedy of Manners. These plays were
quite different from Elizabethan plays in some ways.
The tragic drama of this period was made up of heroic
plays which were mainly written in heroic couplet. The main characters in these
plays were torn between the patriotic duty to their country and their duty as a
lover. In these dramas we find brave heroes, beautiful women, a great deal of
shouting and nonsense things.
John Dryden was a famous dramatist of restoration period. The
Conquest of Granada' and 'Aurengzebe' are Dryden's good heroic plays. The
second one is about the struggle for empire in India. His famous play 'All for
Love' is written in blank verse. It is supposed that he wrote this play by
improving Shakespeare's play 'Antony and Cleopatra'. Of the tragedies by other
dramatist, there are three best heroic plays written by Thomas Otway. They
include 'Don Carlos', 'The Orphan' and 'Venice Preserved'. The last one was his
well-received and best play.
A new type of comedy called the Comedy of Manners
appeared the end of this century. This kind of play is hard and bright, witty
and heartless. It was introduced by Sir George Etherege. It was mainly confined
to the rich, courtly and fashionable circle of London. Generally, people from
the country are ridiculed for their humbleness and lack of sophistication.
George Etherege wrote 'The Man of Mode' which shows the immoral
manners of the society. Wychereley, a satirical dramatist wrote 'The Country
Wife' and 'The Plain Dealer'. One of the famous dramatists who wrote this kind
of comedies was William Congreve. His plays are not as coarse as the earlier
plays. 'The Old Bachelor' is his first comedy and his other comedies are 'The
Double Dealer' and 'Love for Love'. His best play is 'The Way of the World'. It
truly represents the comedy of manner of restoration period. When this play was
not well received, Congreve gave up writing plays in disgust.
John Vanbrugh a professional architect wrote three successful
comedies. They are the 'Relapse', 'The Provoked Wife' and 'The Confederacy'.
Then much later other two dramatists Goldsmith and Sheridan wrote this type of
comedy. Sheridan's important satirical play is 'The Critic', which attacks
drama and literary criticism in a funny way.
3.
How did John Dryden contribute to Restoration Literature?
There appeared a great change in the literature of
this period. Previously closed theatres were opened again. New groups of
writers began to write plays. We generally notice two kinds of developments in
this period namely the Heroic plays and the Comedy of Manners. These plays were
quite different from Elizabethan plays in some ways.
The tragic drama of this period was made up of heroic
plays which were mainly written in heroic couplet. The main characters in these
plays were torn between the patriotic duty to their country and their duty as a
lover. In these dramas we find brave heroes, beautiful women, a great deal of
shouting and nonsense things.
Dryden
is the greatest literary figure of the Restoration. He was an influential
English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the
literary scenario of Restoration Period. Because of his towering leadership in
many genres of literature, the period came to be known in literary circles as
the Age of Dryden.
He
made excellent use of his opportunities and studied eagerly, becoming one of
the best-educated men of the age. By the age of thirty, he was able to make up
his literary contribution. He had contributed an excellent reflection of both
the good and evil tendencies of the age in which he lived. He established the
heroic couplet as a standard form of English poetry. Dryden's greatest
achievement was in satiric verse in works.
John Dryden was a famous dramatist of restoration period. The
Conquest of Granada' and 'Aurengzebe' are Dryden's good heroic plays. The
second one is about the struggle for empire in India. His famous play 'All for
Love' is written in blank verse. It is supposed that he wrote this play by
improving Shakespeare's play 'Antony and Cleopatra'. Of the tragedies by other
dramatist, there are three best heroic plays written by Thomas Otway. They include
'Don Carlos', 'The Orphan' and 'Venice Preserved'. The last one was his
well-received and best play.
4.
Briefly explain the contribution of famous eighteenth-century English poets in
English literature?
Eighteenth
century is often called as Age of Reason because writers of this period focused
their works on social concerns. They thought that reason was more important
than emotion or imagination. For them, an order was important in men's thought
and decorum was needed in writing. Poetry in the eighteenth century adopted
heroic couplet. The major poets of the eighteenth century were Alexander Pope,
Thomas Gray, and Robert Burns.
English poets from 1660 to 1798 are generally known as
neo—classical poets. They were called so because they had a great respect for
classical writers and imitated much from them. Order, correctness and
established rules were carefully observed. Set phrases reasons were commonly
used in their poetry. For neo-classical writers poetry was imitation of human
life.
Alexander Pope is another famous satirical poet of the eighteenth
century. Though Pope was physically weak because of his long illness, he wrote
his 'Essay on Criticism' while he was still young. The book contains some
remarkable expressions. In delightful poem 'The Rape of the Lock' he uses a
trivial subject matter and treats it significant. In his satirical poem 'The
Dunciad' Pope laughs at the poor poets who at writing for their living. He
sometimes has misused his genius by attacking the individual his poems which now
seem of little importance. His later poems are the 'Essay on Man' and four
'Moral Essays'. The first one is somewhat philosophical. Like Dryden, he also
translated some classical works of Homer.
During this time most of the poets commonly wrote
poems about his city life. But unlike other poets James Thomson turned to nature and wrote four poems on 'The
Seasons’ in blank verse. They are Winter, Summer, Spring and Autumn. But he
could not avoid language of his time. Thomson wrote another good poem 'The Castle
of Indolence' in Spenserian stanza. It contains beautiful sleepy language.
Thomas Gray was also a great poet of this age. He belonged to a
group of poets who are sometimes called the 'Churchyard school of the poets'.
The 'Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard' is one of the best poems in English
by Gray. In this poem he expresses the sorrowful feelings which arise in his
mind on seeing the graves of the poor country people buried near the church.
His ode 'The Bard' is a very sad song. In his 'Ode on a Distant Prospect of
Elton College' he describes the schoolboys who are happy and careless about the
troubles in the coming days of their lives.
John Dryden is a famous poet of his time. His satirical poem and
translation are writ in fine rhymed couplets. Dryden wrote a great allegorical
satire named 'Absalom and Achitophel'. In this poem he has used a biblical
story in order to attack the politicians of time. His satire is 'Mac Flecknoe'
which attacks a rival poet named Shadwell. Dryden had a good command of heroic
couplets through which he could write biting satire. The 'Ode for Saint Cecilia's
Day' and 'Alexander's Feast' are his best short poems. During the later years
of his life Dryden translated many classical works of great writers from Greek
and Latin.
William Blake is a poet as well as an artist. Most of his poems are
mysterious. It is very difficult to understand the meaning of some of them.
Blake was a visionary poet and he never believed in earthly things. His great
poetic works are 'Songs of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience'. Of these two
poetic works, the second one is darker and heavier than the first one. It
presents the painful realities of life.
5.
What do you mean by gothic novels? State the contribution of gothic novelists
in the 18th century.
The
novels of terror or gothic novels are about ghosts, witches, supernatural elements,
and dead persons. Their plots are mysterious and frightening. They show
impossible events. Horace Walpole, William Beckford and Ann Radcliffe are known
as the gothic novelists of the period.
Eighteen-century period is supposed to be very fertile
period in the development of prose work. The writer slowly turned to reasonable
things. Prose was thought to be a good medium in order to express more
elaborate ideas and arguments. The earlier development in journalism also gave
rise to prose work to some extent.
During the half of the eighteenth century, we notice
the real beginning of the English novel. Although sometimes Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe' is called the
first English novel, it lacks some essential qualities. More appropriately Samuel Richardson's' Pamela' is the
first English novel.
Horace Walpole wrote a sort of novels which are known as 'novel of
terror'. Such novels include the description of horrible events and scene,
supernatural elements, and so on. His novel 'The Castle of Otranto' is about
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It has some strange descriptions
concerning the activities of a huge ghost.
William Beckford also wrote the same kind of novel of horror named
'Vathek'. It was first written in French and was translated into English. Its
story is about a man Vathek who becomes the servant of a devil. The novel has
some strange and wonderful descriptions including Vathek's visit to the
underground hall of the devil which is full of riches. But he is severely
punished by the devil for his crimes
Mrs. Ann Radcliff is another novelist who wrote the novel of terror. We
find that her novels are of better quality than the novels of other writers.
She had a real feeling for nature. She mixes horrible descriptions with the
tine descriptions of nature. 'The Mysterious of Udolpho' is her famous novel
which has the setting of the Appenine Mountains. There are unusual scenes and
sights in the novel such as moving walls, secret passages and strange events.
There is a girl Emily who is kept in a castle by her aunt's husband, a wicked
person. In an event she sees a dark curtain in a locked room and wants to look
behind it. She sees a dead body with blood on the floor below and faints there.
The writer describes such strange events one after another. She also wrote
other four novels.
6.
How did Restoration Prose contribute to Restoration Literature?
The
Restoration period focused on plain and direct rhetoric in writing. The prose
in this period had much creative and critical aspect. In other words, the age
produced prose writings on literature as well as about literature. Development
of literary criticism began from this age. The major prose writers of this age
are: John Dryden, John Bunyan, John Locke, and Samuel Pepys.
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and
playwright who dominated the literary scenario of the Restoration Period. He
contributed an excellent reflection of both the good and evil tendencies of the
age in which he lived. As a prose writer, Dryden had a marked influence on
Restoration prose; particularly in writing short sentences and giving natural
flow in writing. If we compare his prose with that of Milton, Tor Browne, or
Jeremy Taylor, Dryden cared less for the style than any of the others. Dryden
focuses more to express thought clearly and concisely. in his writing. Dryden
is also taken as a critic of his age. The main works of Dryden are: Fables. Of
Heroic Plays, Discourse on Satire, Essay of Dramatic Poesy (1668). The Wall
Gallant (1663), The River Ladies (1664), Astera Redux (1660), and Annus
Mirabilis (1667). His Essay on 36 Dramatic Poesy is considered one of the
earliest works in literary criticism written in the English language.
John Bunyan was a spiritual autobiographer and a famous allegorist in the
restoration period. His writings are found to be simple and clear. He wrote
realistic novels and explored the picture of lower-class people. His writings
are blended with imaginative thoughts and reality. His major works are: The
Pilgrim's Progress (1675), Grace Abounding. The Life and Death of Mr. Badman
(1680), and 'The Holy War (1682). These works had religious themes and are
influenced by the Bible. The Pilgrim's Progress is a religious allegory
narrating the story of a good man's pilgrimage through life. It's one of the
most famous Christian allegories written in the English language.
John Locke is one of the famous writers of the Restoration period. His wrote in
simple and clear language. His works helped to spread democratic philosophies
in the world. One of his famous essays is 'Essay on Human Understanding. This
is a study of the nature of the human mind and the origin of the ideas.
Interestingly, it was from Locke that the framers of the American Declaration
of Independence and constitution drew many of the ideas. Even the striking
phrases, such as, 'All men are endowed within alienable rights', 'life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness', etc. written in the American constitution
are drawn from Locke's works.
Samuel Pepys was an English diarist and naval administrator. He wrote a well
known diary (published in 1825) which opens on January 1st, 1660 and ends on
May 31st, 1669. The diary was written in secret signs and remained unread at
Cambridge College until 1825. It gives a fascinating picture of the official
Tad and upper-class life of Restoration London. The diary gives detailed events
and lifestyles of the people of that time. The diary was kept between his 27th
and 36th years of age. Written in Thomas Shelton's system of shorthand or
tachygraphy, with the names in longhand, it extends to 1,250,000 words, filling
six quarto volumes in the Pepys Library. Along with personal information, the
diary recorded the events such as the Great Plague of London (1665), the Second
Dutch War (1665-1667), and the Great Fire in London (1665). The information in
the diary was regarded as first-hand information on these great events.
7.
Show your acquaintance with the Churchyard Poets or Graveyard Poets.
The
graveyard poets also termed churchyard poets were a number of pre-romantic
English poets of the 18th century. Many critics of graveyard poetry had very
little positive feedback for the poets and their work. Critic called graveyard
poetry a disease while other critics called many poems unoriginal, and said
that the poets were better than their poetry.
The
poets of the late 18th century who chose death for their subject are grouped as
Graveyard poets. They are: Edward Young, Robert Blair, and Thomas Gray.
i. Thomas Gray:
Thomas
Gray is one of the influential poets of the eighteenth century. His poems are
full of sentiment and emotion. He emphasized rationality and discipline in his
poems. His poems include a deep note of melancholy which makes the readers get
artistic perfection in poems. There is music and stateliness in his verse.
"Elegy Written in a Country Churchard' is his most beautiful and famous
poem. It describes his thoughts as he looks at the graves of country people
buried near the church at Stoke Pages.
He
wonders what they might have done in the world if they had got better
opportunities. His ode 'The Bard' is a sad song that curses King Edward I, who
had put all the Welsh poets to death. His other poems are Agrippina (1742),
Odes of Spring (1742), On a Distant Prospect of Eton College (1742), 221 The
Progress of Poesy. 'The Fatal Sisters' and 'The Descent of Odin'.
iii. Robert Blair:
He
also wrote his poems in blank verse. In his poem, "The Grave', he begs the
dead to come back and tell something about the grave.
ii.
Edward Young:
His
'Night Thoughts' is about life, death, the future world and God. It is written
in blank verse.
8.
Explain that 'Eighteenth Century English Literature is the Age of reason'.
Eighteenth-century
English literature emphasized on intellect and reasoning in writing with
logical segments and argumentative thoughts, rather than emotions and
imagination. This age is known as the age of reason' because the writers
emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Since the
writers of this period gave much emphasis on rules and regulations of writing,
this age is known as the Neo-classic age and even Augustan Age. Poetry was
written with full of compliments and polite manners. The ideas used in poetry
were often in a conversational style.
We
can even find some moral poetry in the works of Johnson, Waller, and others.
Likewise, the use of allegory was common in the fiction of this period.
Gossips, scandals, sexes, and marital intrigues with offensive sexual contents
became popular in writings. Essays ranged from philosophical to personal,
covering the themes of gardening, environment, family, love affairs, and
politics. The use of plain and direct style was preferred in many of the
writings of the period.
One
of the important aspects of the social history of the early 18th century
England was the appearance of coffee houses in London. Coffee drinking passion
had spread all over Europe and coffee houses had become the spaces to exchange
news and opinions among many learned people. A large part of British culture
was shaped there. People gathered in coffee houses and debated about religion,
politics, and literature openly.
Interestingly,
only men visited the coffee houses, but women were completely excluded. As
their husbands, brothers, fathers, and friends began to spend more and more
time in coffee houses, women must have been extremely curious about those
places. Therefore, although the lower and middle-class men were getting a
chance to speak up and discuss current issues with scholars and journalists,
women were still excluded from this vital part of society. Many coffee houses
became popular because of the famous poets and writers who frequented them.
The
famous coffee houses in London were Button's and Will's. Will's coffee houses
became famous because the poet and playwright John Dryden used to visit it.
Coffee house conversations were not always about serious issues but also about
social scandals too. In fact, they could become rowdy and out of control since
most coffee houses served alcohol. Many poets, like Alexander Pope, claimed to
be influenced by the Coffee house culture. His famous poem Rape of the Lock is
claimed to be composed out of gossips heard in a coffee house in London.
9.
Write an essay on 'Essays and novels in Eighteenth century'.
The
eighteenth-century is the age of prose. Unlike the Elizabethan age and
Restoration period, most of the plays of this period were written in prose. No.
good poetry was written in this age and because of the emphasis on rules, even
the poems read 'prosaic. The essays proliferated with Richard Steele, Joseph
Addison and Samuel Johnson. Although some long stories were published in the
seventeenth century, the novel properly began in the eighteenth century. Richard
Steel, Joseph Addition, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, and
Lawrence Stern are famous prose writers of this period.
Richard
Steele and Joseph Addison were journalists of the periodicals. They began their
literary career publishing articles through such periodicals. They mostly
covered the topics of contemporary society were taken as social critics but
were mild satirists. They exposed the evils and follies of contemporary English
society. They adopted the features of writing used in the coffee houses.
Samuel
Johnson is the towering figure, the greatest personality in the 18th century
writing. He was a poet, essayist, biographer, critic, and lexicographer. He was
strictly a rule-governed person both in life and writing. His Dictionary of the
English Language was published in 1755. His book, Lives of the Most Imminent
Poets is an influential critical work. A Journey to the Western Islands of
Scotland, The History of Rasselas, and Prince of Abyssinia are his popular
books. He wrote numerous essays, sermons and poems too.
Born in Dublin, Jonathan Swift is one of the famous prose writers and
bitter satirists of eighteenth century England. The major topics of his
writings include religious ideas and the nature of the human being. He explored
discrimination and the evils of contemporary societies through writing.
Daniel Defoe began his career as a writer by writing pamphlets, essays, and
poems. His first novel Robinson Crusoe became popular in the eighteenth century
and even later. It is a very popular novel among children. Another novel, Moll
Flanders is about a beautiful girl whose thirst for money corrupts her.
Samuel Richardson received little education. He had a natural talent for
the creation and later became one of the famous novelists. His novels examine
human hearts and show human characters, attitude, feelings, and emotions. His
novel Pamela' is about a girl named Pamela. His other novel is 'Clarrisa' which
is about a beautiful and talented girl Clarrisa. Both of these novels are
written in the epistolary narrative; narrated through a series of letters.
Lawrence Stern was an Anglo-Irish novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He wrote
three novels: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A
Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. His first novel is a fine example
of meta-fiction.
10.
Discuss William Blake as a poet of transition period.
Blake is a poet as well as an artist. Most of his
poems are mysterious. It is very difficult to understand the meaning of some of
them. Blake was a visionary poet and he never believed in earthly things. His
great poetic works are 'Songs of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience'. Of these
two poetic works, the second one is darker and heavier than the first one. It
presents the painful realities of life.
William
Blake is also one of the Romantic poets. He was humanitarian poet. Most of the
writings of Blake include a love of liberty and freedom. He is known as a
mystic, natural, and symbolic poet. His poems have hidden meanings that are
hard to understand. He did not believe in the reality of matter, the power of
earthly rulers, in the punishment after death.
Poetical
Sketches (1783). Songs of Innocence (1789), Songs of Experience (1789), Prophetic
Books, which include The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790), America (1793),
The Book of Uri Zen (1794), The Book of Los (1795), The French Revolution
(1793), The Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), and The Europe (1794).
His
best-known poems are included in 'Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.
The poems in 'Songs of Innocence' are simple, lyrical and easy to understand.
The poems included in Songs of Experience' are difficult, paradoxical and
symbolic.
11.
How did language growth and expansion in vocabulary take place during the
restoration period? Explain.
The
restoration period was a time when there was changing patterns of thou' and
'you'. A distinction between thou' and 'you' was practised in the Elizabethan period,
like in the text 'The Twelfth Night'. By the seventh century, 'You' became a
preferred form and 'Thou' was used in a limited manner. There was an Industrial
Revolution in the 18th century in England and which affected the development of
language basically, in the use of new words where some were modified.
Many
new words were invented and used to cope with the rapid changes in technology.
People wished to be associated with the social power of the in London. The use
of language gradually changed with economic and social reality. You' thus,
became standard form- in both singular and plural forms as it was used
increasingly.
The
trend of adding new technical words, such as: trains, engine, pulleys,
combustion, electricity, telephone, telegraph, camera and others increased in
this period. These words were named after the inventions or given the name of
their choice. Eighteenth-century is a period where several grammars of English,
dictionaries, and even pronunciation guides to English language were published.
Johnson's The Dictionary of the English Language became a source for the
authentic pronunciation and meaning of the words.
The
contribution of The Royal Society has significant role for the development of
language. In this century, the plain 'neoclassical' style allowed wider
communication for the middle class people and enlarged both in the readership
and writings. In poetry, linguistic clarity and precision is illustrated by
Pope and Dryden. They introduced heroic couplet which reinforced simplicity,
harmony and balance in language. Besides, it focused on the order of
words-coherence in writing.
12.
Write short notes on:
a)
Comedy of Manners
After
the restoration of King Charles into the throne, a new thought in dramas
emerged which is termed as Comedy of Manners. These plays made fun of social
groups and their fashionable manners more than individual human follies. These
plays had hard, bright, witty, and heartless features. The focus of these types
of dramas was on the manners and ideals of high-class society.
Their
common themes concerned with marriage, sex, and fashion. The characters were
people of fashion, pops, cunning people and beautiful ladies. The plot was
mainly concerned with the battle between male lust and female thoughtfulness.
The Comedy of Manners is satirical in a good-natured way and is likely to be
found in an aristocratic group like the court of King Charles II.
William
Congreve is taken as a mature dramatist. He is one of the English dramatists
who shaped the English Comedy of Manner through his brilliant comic dialogue
and satirical portrayal of the war of the sexes. Richard Brinsley Sheridan achieved
popularity as a dramatist in Comedy of Manners through The School for Scandal
and The Rivals.
Sir
George Etherege spent a decade in France and introduced Comedy of Manners in
England after coming back there. His first comedy The Comical Revenge was
presented on stage in 1664. The play was based on the family intrigues which
established Etherege as a playwright. Oliver Goldsmith wrote a fine comedy
entitled She Stoops to Conquer. It is regarded as one of the best plays written
in the English language.
b)
Age of reason
Eighteenth-century
English literature emphasized on intellect and reasoning in writing with
logical segments and argumentative thoughts, rather than emotions and
imagination. This age is known as 'the age of reason' because the writers
emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. Since the
writers of this period gave much emphasis on rules and regulations of writing,
this age is known as the Neo-classic age and even Augustan Age.
Poetry
was written with full of compliments and polite manners. The ideas used in
poetry were often in a conversational style. We can even find some moral poetry
in the works of Johnson, Waller, and others. Likewise, the use of allegory was
common in the fiction of this period. Gossips, scandals, sexes, and marital
intrigues with offensive sexual contents became popular in writings. Essays
ranged from philosophical to personal, covering the themes of gardening,
environment, family, love affairs, and politics. The use of plain and direct
style was preferred in many of the writings of the period.
One
of the important aspects of the social history of the early 18th century
England was the appearance of coffee houses in London. Coffee drinking passion
had spread all over Europe and coffee houses had become the spaces to exchange
news and opinions among many learned people. A large part of British culture
was shaped there. People gathered in coffee houses and debated about religion,
politics, and literature openly. Interestingly, only men visited the coffee
houses, but women were completely excluded.
As
their husbands, brothers, fathers, and friends began to spend more and more
time in coffee houses, women must have been extremely curious about those
places. Therefore, although the lower and middle-class men were getting a
chance to speak up and discuss current issues with scholars and journalists,
women were still excluded from this vital part of society. Many coffee houses
became popular because of the famous poets and writers who frequented them. The
famous coffee houses in London were Button's and Will's.
Will's
coffee houses became famous because the poet and playwright John Dryden used to
visit it. Coffee house conversations were not always about serious issues but
also about social scandals too. In fact, they could become rowdy and out of
control since most coffee houses served alcohol. Many poets, like Alexander
Pope, claimed to be influenced by the Coffee house culture. His famous poem
Rape of the Lock is claimed to be composed out of gossips heard in a coffee
house in London.
c)
William Blake as a poet of the Transition Period
Blake is a poet as well as an artist. Most of his
poems are mysterious. It is very difficult to understand the meaning of some of
them. Blake was a visionary poet and he never believed in earthly things. His
great poetic works are 'Songs of Innocence' and 'Songs of Experience'. Of these
two poetic works, the second one is darker and heavier than the first one. It
presents the painful realities of life.
William
Blake is also one of the Romantic poets. He was humanitarian poet. Most of the
writings of Blake include a love of liberty and freedom. He is known as a
mystic, natural, and symbolic poet. His poems have hidden meanings that are
hard to understand. He did not believe in the reality of matter, the power of
earthly rulers, in the punishment after death.
Poetical
Sketches (1783). Songs of Innocence (1789), Songs of Experience (1789),
Prophetic Books, which include The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790), America
(1793), The Book of Uri Zen (1794), The Book of Los (1795), The French
Revolution (1793), The Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793), and The
Europe (1794).
His
best-known poems are included in 'Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.
The poems in 'Songs of Innocence' are simple, lyrical and easy to understand.
The poems included in Songs of Experience' are difficult, paradoxical and
symbolic.
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