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POETRY-1 (ENG403). LECTURE – 27. REVIEW. JOHN DONNE Love Songs Holy Sonnets. ALEXANDER POPE (1688-1744) THE RAPE OF THE LOCK. THE AGE OF POPE. NEOCLASSICAL AGE AUGUSTAN AGE AGE OF REASON PSEUDO CLASSICAL THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. ERA OF AUGUSTUS. The Augustan Age Roman Ruler
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POETRY-1 (ENG403) LECTURE – 27
REVIEW • JOHN DONNE • Love Songs • Holy Sonnets
ALEXANDER POPE (1688-1744) • THE RAPE OF THE LOCK
THE AGE OF POPE • NEOCLASSICAL AGE • AUGUSTAN AGE • AGE OF REASON • PSEUDO CLASSICAL • THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY
ERA OF AUGUSTUS • The Augustan Age • Roman Ruler • 27 B.C – 14 A.D • Classical writers • Horace, Virgil, Ovid • Golden Era of Latin Literature • Common sense, moderation • Reason for Emotion • Elegance for Brevity
NEOCLASSICAL AGE THE AUGUSTAN AGE IN ENGLAND • TWO PARTS • The Age of Dryden- 1700 • The Age of Pope- 1744
BACKGROUND TO THE AGE (1) • 17th century : period of great change • Queen Elizabeth- 1603 • James 1 (1603- 1625) • Scottland • Patriotic unity • People resented taxes, alliance with Spain • Middle Class clashed with monarchy • Dissolved 3 parliaments (1604, 1614, 1621) • Imposition of customs, money grants, right of speech
17th CENTURY BACKGROUND (2) • Charles 1 • Popular • Deceitfulness & wrong headedness • Henriietta Maria/ France • Buckingham as Lord Chancellor • Gave in the petition of civil rights (1628) • No taxation/imprisonment/billeting • 11 years
17th CENTURY BACKGROUND (3) • Archbishops punished Puritans • Civil war 1642- 1648 • Royalists/Cavaliers/Catholics • Parliamentary Forces/Puritans • Sentenced to death in 1649 • The Common Wealth (1649- 1653) • Scotland proclaimed Charles II • Cromwell took step & succeeded in 1651 • Parliament/dissolved
17th CENTURY BACKGROUND (4) • Cromwell/Lord Protector • Strong foreign policy • Monarchy by 1658 • He died in 1658 • Restored monarchy under Charles ll • Long conflict between Catholics & Protestants • Test Act 1673- banned public offices • Charle ll died in 1685 • James became king
17th CENTURY BACKGROUND (5) • His daughter Mary & William: joint monarchs • Protestants • The Bill of Rights (1689) • Catholics were banned • No Catholic king/queen • No king could marry a Catholic • Places of worship • Their own teachers & preachers • Government positions & universities
SOCIAL BACKGROUND • Horse racing • Bear baiting • The sport of the cock-pit • Theatrical performance • Great Plague of London- 1 million Londoners • Isaac Newton escaped- moved away • Coffee Houses / Intellectual Huts • Centers of commercial & literary activities • Knowledge was taken out of libraries • Transplanted into the coffee houses
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AGE • 18th Century is characterized for: • Order • Clarity • Decorum • Stability • Reason • Wit • Intelligence • Imagination was replaced by reason.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AGE • Appreciation of reason • Control of emotions • Correctness in life & art
LITERARY GENRES • Poetry • Birth of Novel • Essays • Heroic Couplet • Satire • “literature of manners”
NOTABLE WRITERS OF THE AGE • Dryden • Pope • Swift • Addison • John Gay
LITERARY INSPIRATION • French Model of Writing • Nature as Model of Discipline • Logic & Reason • Long Sentences • Difficult Diction
LITERARY MODEL • Latin & Greek Writers: • Ovid • Horace • Virgil • Imitated Classical Works • Epic • Pastoral • Satire • Pindaric Ode
PRINCIPLES OF LITERARY WORKS • Dryden’s An Essay of Dramatic Poesy (1668) • Pope’s Essay on Criticism (1711)
ALEXANDER POPE (1) • Born in London (1688) • Middle class • Alexander Pope & Edith • Roman Catholic Family • Her family; divided along Catholic & Protestant lines • Linen trader • Repressive legislations & Prejudices • No Universities for Catholics • No Public employment • Uneven education
ALEXANDER POPE (2) • Often interrupted • Reading books/Father’s library • He was 12 years • Family moved to Benfield in Windsor Forest • Tuberculosis of Bones through infected milk • Pott’s disease • Became invalid • Dwarfish all his life (4.6 feet) • Could not travel on bumpy roads
ALEXANDER POPE (3) • Also suffered from Asthma, Headaches • Humpback: target in literary battles • “Hunchbacked toad” • Remained a bachelor • His religious faith • Good educational institution • Self educated man • Several languages
ALEXANDER POPE (4) • Aunt: taught him to read & write • Local Priest: Latin & Greek • Later learnt French & Italian • Read the works of great writers • Homer, Virgil, Chaucer • Shakespeare, Spenser, Milton, • Imitated the works of great writers • Resolute to be literary figure • Made several visits to London
ALEXANDER POPE (5) • Made friendship with learned men • William Walsh, Congreve, Wycherly, Garth, 1st Earl of Oxford, Jonathan Swift • Moved to London • Published his major literary works • “An Essay on Criticism” • Discussion based on neoclassical doctrines “Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne’er was, nor is, nor e’er shall be.”
ALEXANDER POPE (6) • “The Rape of the Lock” (1712) • Elegant Satire • Helped Swift: Gulliver’s Travels • Published “Essay on Man” (1733-34) • Examined human condition • Against Miltonic Cosmic background • Evocative, dramatic, exciting & concrete • Popular for his Satirical Works/witty • Translated Illiad & Odyssey • Great achievement/ financial support
ALEXANDER POPE (7) • Moved to Twichkenham • It inspired him to study landscape gardening • No notable literary works • Revised & edited earlier works • His health declined • Died at the age of 56 in 1744
THE RAPE OF THE LOCK • “The Rape of the Lock” (1712) • Elegant Satire • Hysterical Battles between the sexes • Follies of young • It consisted of 2 Cantos • Expanded in 1714 • Consisted of 5 cantos
THE BASIS OF STORY • Based on a quarrel between two families • Pope knew both families • Lord Petre cut off lock of Miss Arabella Fermor’s hair • John Caryll’s suggestion: to write a poem on this incident
STORY OF THE POEM • A young lady, Belinda • She wakes up • Description of her beauty aids • She plays cards, flirts, drinks coffee • She lost a lock of her hair • Stolen by a devoted young man
THE RAPE OF THE LOCK • Trivial Incident • Mock-heroic treatment • Satire on the contemporary society • High-society obsessions & concerns • It recommends a reform
REVIEW OF LECTURE 27 • Background of the Neoclassical Age • Characteristics of the Age • Literary Genres • Notable Writers • Biography of Alexander Pope • The Rape of the Lock • Origin of the Poem • Theme & Subject matter of the poem