十七世纪英国文学

Other metaphysical poets
• George Herbert (1593-1633)
– “the saint of the metaphysical school” – 极为虔诚的国教牧师，其诗常有牵强的奇喻，晦涩难懂。 有时采取具象诗的形式表现其虔诚。 – “The Easter Wing” (具象诗)
Literature of the 17th century
• 1. Poetry
– John Milton – Metaphysical Poets 玄学派诗人 – Cavalier Poets 骑士派诗人
• 2. Prose
– John Bunyan – Other prose-writers
– – – – – – – – – Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Thou know’st that this cannot be said A sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead, ……. Oh stay, 4 three lives in one flea spare, Where we almost, nay more than married, are. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed and marriage temple is; （From The Flea）
• John Donne is the founder of the Metaphysical School. His poems appear in two collections: Songs and Sonnets. In Donne’s love poems, there are no flowery images. • George Herbert is “The saint of the Metaphysical School’ “.He thought that a poem should sing the glory of the God. And his chief work is a collection called The Temple.
Literature Characteristics of the Period
• A. The king was the open enemy of the people, and the country was divided by the struggling for political and religious. So literature was as divided into in spirit as were the struggling parties. • B. Literature expressed listlessness and sadness. • C. In literature of the Puritan Period, we couldn’t find any romantic ardor.
• At this period, some people used leaflets and small booklets to publish their statements that people should pursue democracy and freedom.
• The main literary form of the Period was poetry. Among the poetry, Milton was the greatest. And there were another two groups of poets; the Metaphysical Poets and the Cavalier Poets.
• 3. Drama
– Restoration Drama – John Dryden (1631-1700)
1.3 John Milton (1608-1674)
• Life and literary career
– Early Life(1608-1640)
• Education at Cambridge • His first work: an ode On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity（《基 督诞生晨颂》，1629） • Horton: L’Allegro (《快乐的人》， 1632), Il Penseroso (《沉思的人》， 1632), Lycidas (《利西达斯》， 1638), Comus (《科玛斯》，1634). • 2 years’ travel in the Continent, returned in 1939
• Later Life
• Areopagitica《论出版自由》(1644) • Defence of the English People (《为英国 人民辩护》，1651), • Second Defence of the English People (《为英国人民再辩护》，1654).
– After the restoration, in blindness he completed three great epics with the help of his daughter and some other young men. – Paradise Lost《失乐园》; Paradise Regained 《复乐园》; and Samson Agonistes《力士参孙》
John Donne (1573-1631)
• John Donne’s masterpiece is Songs பைடு நூலகம்nd Sonnets《歌曲与十四行诗》, among which The Sun Rising and The Flea are the two most famous poems.
• The Revolution Period is also called the Puritan Age, because the English Revolution was carried out under a religious cloak
• In 1653,Cromwell set himself up as an autocratic dictator. The English people began to oppose Cromwell and his government .And this brought about the collapse of the Commonwealth.
• In subject, his poems show a seemingly unfocused diversity of experience and attitudes, and a free range of feelings and moods. The most striking feature of his poetry is its concern of reality, in the sense that it seems to reflect life in a real rather than a poetical world. Donne frequently applies conceits, and his poetry involves a kind of argument with the brief and simple language.
Life and literary career of Milton
• 20 years as a revolutionary (1640-1660)
– Worked as the Latin secretary for Cromwell – Wrote a number of political pamphlets, including:
Metaphysical Poets（玄学派）
• It appeared in England at about the beginning of the 17 century. Their poetry diverged from the
style of their times, containing neither images of nature nor allusions to classical mythology, as were common, and there are often allusions to scientific or geographical discoveries. There is also a frequent concern with religious subjects in their poetry.
• In 1642, a civil war was broken out between the king and the parliament. All the classes in England divided into two groups. The parliament was supported by the merchants, the workers and the peasants, while the king was supported by the conservative gentry, the big landlords and the monopolists. the king’s men were called “Cavaliers” and the parliament’s men were called “Roundheads”. In 1649 CharlesⅠ was sentenced to death and England was declared to be a commonwealth and Cromwell became the leader of the new government.
John Donne (1573-1631)
• John Donne (1573-1631) is the founder of the Metaphysical School. Donne is famous for his frankness, penetrating realism and cynicism. He emphasizes his thought by fantastic metaphors and extravagant hyperboles.
Elizabethan and Jacobean period (1558–1625)
• During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) and then James I (1603–1625), in the late 16th and early 17th century, a London- centered culture, that was both courtly and popular, produced great poetry and drama. English playwrights combined the influence of the Medieval theatre with the Renaissance's rediscovery.
• Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)