4..17世纪玄学派和弥尔顿及班扬

The 17th Century—Revolution and

Restoration

1 A brief introduction of the 17th century

1.1 Historical background

●The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous periods in the history. This century witnessed at least two revolutions: puritan revolution (1640-1660) and glorious revolution (1688). Puritan revolution began with the calling of the Long Parliament by King Charles I and proceeded through two civil wars (1642-1648), the trial and execution of the king (1649), the republican experiments of Oliver Cromwell (1649-1653), and, ultimately, the restoration of King Charles II (1660). Because of these two revolutions, the political system in England underwent somewhat great changes.

●Because of these two revolutions, the political system in England underwent somewhat great changes. First, after the Puritan revolution there established a kind of military dictatorship under which the people suffered greatly. Second, after the glorious revolution, there brought to England a constitutional monarchy (君主立宪制), within which the king’s power was greatly restricted and the revolution meant three things: the supremacy of Parliament, the beginning of modern England, and the final triumph of the principle of political liberty for which the Puritan had fought and suffered hardship for a hundred years.

●The general features of the age are the transition and the spirit of doubt and scientific analysis. Transition here means the transition

from the absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy, the transition from agricultural to manufacturing etc.

术语解释：Puritanism:Puritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary bourgeoisie during the English Revolution. It preached thrift, sobriety, hard work and unceasing labor in whatever calling one happened to be, but with no extravagant ( [ik'str?v?ɡ?nt] 奢侈的；放纵的) enjoyment of the fruits of labor. The wealthy were to accumulate capital, the poor to labor at their tasks, as a ―divine duty‖. Worldly pleasures were condemned as harmful. This was precisely the outlook needed by the bourgeoisie for the accumulation of capital. The Puritans opposed the old church that squandered a lot of money upon robes, candles and magnificent processions. They closed down the London theatres in 1642, not only for their extravagance and deterioration but

also for the puritanic abhorrence of ―worldly‖pleasures in general.

1.2 Literary characteristics

The Revolution Period was one of confusion in literature. English literature of the period witnessed a decline and degeneration. We can see that it is different from the literature of Elizabeth Period in three aspects.

1)Elizabeth literature had a marked unity and the feeling of patriotism and devotion to the Queen, but in the Revolution Period, all this was changed, the king became the open enemies of the people, and the country was divided by the struggle for political and religious liberty. So literature was divided in spirit as were the struggling parties.

2)Elizabeth literature was generally inspiring. It throbbed with youth and hope and vitality. Literature in the Puritan Age expressed

sadness. Even its brightest hours were followed by gloom and pessimism.

3)Elizabeth literature was intensely romantic. The romance sprang from the heart of youth. People believed all things, even the impossible. But in literature of the puritan period, we cannot find romantic ardor.

The Revolution period produced one of the most important poets in English literature, John Milton, whose work would glorify any age and people, and in his work the indomitable revolutionary spirit found its noblest expression. For this reason, this period is also called the Age of Milton.

The main literary form in literature of the period was poetry. Among the poets, Milton was the greatest. Besides him, there were two groups of poets; the Metaphysical poets and

the Cavalier poets.

2. Metaphysical Poets and Metaphysical Poetry

2.1 Metaphysical Poets conceit The group of poets, sharing some of John Donne’s poetic features, has been called ―Metaphysical Poets.‖Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry.

●John Donne (1573–1631)

◆Donne is the founder of the Metaphysical school.

◆Donne illumines or emphasizes his thought by fantastic metaphors and extravagant hyperboles. ―Conceit‖ is the key of his poetry. 术语解释: conceit (07): A kind of metaphor that makes a comparison between two startlingly different things. A conceit may be a brief metaphor, but it usually provides the framework for an entire poem. An especially unusual and intellectual kind of conceit is

the metaphysical conceit, used by certain seventeenth-century poets, such as John Donne.

● Other Metaphysical Poets

Gorge Herbert (1593–1633), Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), Richard Crashaw (1612–1649), Henry Vaughan (1622–1695), Abraham Cowley (1618–1667), John Cleveland (1613–1658)

2.2 Metaphysical poetry

●The term ―metaphysical poetry‖is commonly used to name the work of the 17th –century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.

●Metaphysical poetry is characterized by verbal wit and excess, ingenious structure, irregular meter, colloquial language, elaborate imagery, and metaphysical conceits and a drawing together of dissimilar ideas.

●In general, metaphysical poetry has the following features: 1) The diction is simple

and echoes the words and cadences of common speech; 2) The imagery is drawn from the actual life; 3) The form is frequently that of an argument with the poet’s beloved, with God, or with himself.

●Metaphysical poetry has gained new recognition because of their seriousness of art, their spirit of revolt, and their realism, and it has greatly influenced the modernist poetry of the 20th century.

诗歌作品导读：见《新编英国文学教程》P60-67

John Donne: The Flea; Death, Be Not Proud George Herbert: Virtue, Easter Wings Andrew Marvell: To His Coy Misstress (08年选段)

英国文学学习指南练习21 （P21）

3. The Cavalier Poets (保皇派)

●Cavalier poets were often courtiers who stood on the side of the king against the Parliament and Puritans, and were influenced

greatly by Ben Jonson and called themselves ―sons‖ of Ben Jonson.

● Cavalier poetry

The Cavalier poets wrote light poetry, polished and elegant, amorous and gay, but often superficial. They mostly dealt in short songs on the flitting joys of the day, but underneath their light-heartedness lies some foreboding of impending doom. This spirit of pessimism and cynicism is typical of the aristocratic class in decline.

●Robert Herrick (1591—1674), Thomas Carew (1598—1639), Sir John Suckling (1609—1642), Richard Lovelace (1618—1658), Edmund Waller (1606—1687), William Davenant (1606 –1668) belonged to this school.

作品导读：见《新编英国文学教程》P69

Robert Herrick: To the Virgins, to Make much of Time (the theme of Carpe Diem, 及时行乐主题)

4. John Milton and his Paradise Lost

4.1 John Milton (1608-1674)

●Milton is considered as the third greatest English poet after Chaucer and Shakespeare, and the greatest to come out of the 17th century. Milton is the master of blank verse, the first to use blank verse in non-dramatic works.

His Life:

●He was born into a pious wealthy Puritan family, having a supportive father and a cultured mother and enjoying the sweetest and the most sheltered period of adolescence of all.

● He was tutored privately and then educated at St. Paul’s School and Christ’s College, Cambridge University.

● After graduating from Cambridge University, he subjected himself to a rigorous reading plan.

● When Cromwell came to the throne, he was appointed Latin secretary

● He turned totally blind in 1652

●He was thrown in prison when the restoration began, but his life was spared by the king.

● Died on November 8, 1674

●His works:Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes

4.2 Paradise Lost

作品导读节选:见《新编英国文学教程》P80

A Brief Introduction

◆Paradise Lost is John Milton’s masterpiece, and the greatest English epic. Before its actual writing, he had the subject in his mind for a quarter of a century, and made drafts about the characters and plot.

◆It is a long epic in 12 books, written in blank verse. The stories were taken from the Old Testament: The creation; the rebellion in Heaven of Satan and his fellow-angels; their defeat and expulsion from Heaven; the creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve; the fallen angels in hell plotting against God; Satan’s temptation of Eve; and the departure of Adam and Eve from Eden.

●The Theme and Characterization of Paradise Lost

◆The story is taken from the Bible, about ―the fall of man‖, that is, how Adam and Eve are tempted by Satan to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and how they are punished by God and driven out of Paradise. In Milton’s words, the purpose of writing the epic is to ―justify the ways of

God to men‖, but apparently with Satan at his mouthpiece, Milton is uttering his intense hatred of tyranny in the capacity of the Revolutionary. By depicting Satan and his followers as well as their fiery utterance and brave actions, Milton is showing a Puritan’s revolt against the dictator and against the established doctrines of the Catholics and the Anglican Church.

◆In the poem God is no better than a cruel and selfish despot, seated on a throne with a chorus of angels about him singing songs to praise him. His long speeches are not pleasing at all. He is cruel and unjust in punishing Satan. His Archangel Raphael is only a bore. His angels are stupid. But Satan is the most striking character in the poem, who rises

against God and, though defeated, still seeks for revenge.

◆Adam and Eve embody Milton’s belief in the powers of man. God denied them craving for knowledge. It is this longing for knowledge that opens before mankind a wide road to intelligent and active life. It has been noted by many critics that Milton’s revolutionary feelings made him forget religious orthodoxy. The angels who surround the God never think of expressing any opinions of their own, and they never seem to have any opinions of their own. This image of God surrounded by such angels resembles the court of an absolute monarch. But Satan and his followers, who freely discuss all issues in council, remind us a republican Parliament.

●The Image of Satan:

◆Satan is the real hero of the poem. Like a conquered and banished giant, he remains obeyed and admired by those who follow him down to hell.

◆He is firmer than the rest of the angels. Though defeated, he prevails, since he has won from God the third part of his angels, and almost all the sons of Adam. Though wounded, he triumphs for the thunder which hit upon his head and left his heart invincible. Though feebler in force, he remains superior in nobility, since he prefers independence to happy servility, and welcomes his defeat and his torments as a glory, a liberty, and a joy.

◆ The proud and somber Satan represents the spirit of rebellion questioning the unjust authority of God.

● The Features of the Poem:

◆There are the two most essential things: Puritanism and Republicanism.

◆Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.

◆His poignant thought and fiery ideas are usually expressed with powerful language and vivid images.

◆Nevertheless, his Puritanism frequently constitutes his chief limitation, giving his poems and prose works a religious and sometimes even a superstition character.

◆Long sentences are usually in inverted word order.

◆It is full of classical and biblical allusion

◆Milton is the master of blank verse, the first to use blank verse in non-dramatic works.

4.3 Samson Agonistes

●The Theme: Samson Agonistes is a poetical drama modeled on the Greek tragedies. The story was taken from the Old Testament. Samson was an athlete of the Israelites. He stood as their champion fighting for the freedom of their country. But he was betrayed by his wife and blinded by his enemies, the Philistines. One day he was summoned to provide amusement for his enemies by feats of strength in temple. There he wreaked his vengeance upon his enemies by pulling down the temple upon them and upon himself in a common ruin.

● Samson=Milton?

In this poetic drama, Milton is telling us his own story. Like Samson, he was been betrayed by his wife. He has suffered from blindness

and been scorned by his enemies, and yet he has struggled heroically against his enemies. Samson’s miserable blind servitude among his enemies, his agonizing longing for sight and freedom, and the last terrible triumph are all allusion to the poet’s own story. So the whole poem strongly suggests Milton’s passionate longing that he could bring destruction down upon the enemy at the cost of his own life. This is why we say Samson is Milton.

● Comments on John Milton

1) Milton was political in both his life and his art. He was militant pamphleteer of the English Revolution, and the greatest English revolutionary poet of the 17th century.

2) Milton wrote the greatest epic in English literature. His influence is omnipresent in almost all later English poetry.

3) Milton is a master of the blank verse. He first used blank verse in non-dramatic works. In “Paradise Lost”, he acquires an absolute mastery of the blank verse.

4) Milton is a great stylist. He is famous for his grand style, which is the result of his life—long classical and biblical study. Sometimes his style is never exactly natural. 5) Milton has always been admired for his sublimity of thought and majesty of expression.

作品导读：见《新编英国文学教程》P77-79 John Milton: On His Blindness / When I Consider How My Light Is Spent; Methought I Saw My Late Espoused Saint

5. John Bunyan (1628-1688)

5.1 Bunyan’s works:

1) The Pilgrim’s Progress

2) The Life and Death of Mr. Badman

3) The Holy War

●The Pilgrim’s Progress

1) The Pilgrim’s Progress is a religious allegory (a story in verse or prose with double meanings: a surface meaning and an undersurface meaning). It tells of the spiritual pilgrim-age of Christian, who flies from the City of Destruction, meets with the perils and temptations of the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle, faces and overcomes the demon Appollyon, and finally comes to the Delectable Mountains and the Celestial City.

2) Though an allegory, its characters impress the reader like real persons. The places that Bunyan paints in words are English scenes and conversation which enliven his narratives