Augustan Age

The eighteenth century in English literature has been called the Augustan Age, the Neoclassical Age. The term 'The Augustan Age' comes from the self-conscious imitation of the original Augustan writers  by many of the writers of the period. Anyone educated in the eighteenth century would be familiar with the original texts, since studying the classics was a central feature of the school curriculum. Wit and intellectual conceits shaped the tone of much Augustan writing.

The major writers of the age were Pope and John Dryden in poetry, and Jonathan Swift and Joseph Addison in prose. Dryden forms the link between Restoration and Augustan literature; although he wrote ribald comedies in the Restoration vein, his verse satires were highly admired by the generation of poets who followed him, and his writings on literature were very much in a neoclassical spirit.

Augustan Age, one of the most illustrious periods in Latin literary history, from approximately 43 bc to ad 18, it forms the Golden Age of Latin literature. Marked by civil peace and prosperity, the age reached its highest literary expression in poetry. During this period, there were successive attempts to ‘fix’ the English language. It is  to impose  a Classical system of genres on English literature.

REFERENCES:

http://www.ruthnestvold.com/Augustan.htm

http://www.crossref-it.info/articles/398/An-introduction-to-Augustan-literature

Civil War

The Civil War is the central event in America's historical consciousness. While the Revolution created the United States, the Civil War  determined what kind of nation it would be. The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration, all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world.

The Restoration period begins in 1660, the year in which King Charles II (the exiled Stuart king) was restored to the English throne. The period is one of increasing commercial prosperity and global trade for Britain. Literacy expanded to include the middle classes and even some of the poor. Writers  began to advocate for improved education for women during this period.John Milton was important poet  in this period. Milton's poetry and prose reflect deep personal convictions, a passion for freedom and self-determination, and the urgent issues and political turbulence of his day.

Briefly we learned the Civil War and Restoration period in English Literature.We talked about these effects of these periods.And also we examined John Milton’s poetry.

 REFERENCE: http://wwnorton.com/college/english/nael9/section/volC/overview.aspx

Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical poetry refers to a type of very intellectual poetry that was common in the 17th century. This type of poetry was known for bold and ingenious conceits, subtle thought and frequent use of paradox as well as the directness of language. Basically, metaphysics deals with questions that can't be explained by science. It questions the nature of reality in a philosophical way. This term of  work is a blend of emotion and intellectual ingenuity, characterized by conceit or ‘’wit’’ .Sometimes violent yoking together of apparently unconnected ideas and things so that the reader is startled out of his complacency and forced to think through the argument of the poem. Metaphysical poetry is less concerned with expressing feeling than with analyzing it, with the poet exploring the recesses of his consciousness.John Donne  and George Herbert are important poets in this term.

John Donne (1572 – 1631) was the most influential metaphysical poet. His early work, collected in Satires and in Songs and Sonnets, was released in an era of religious oppression. His Holy Sonnets, which contains many of Donne’s most enduring poems, was released shortly after his wife died in childbirth.

George Herbert (1593 – 1633) was remarkable poet who did not live to see a collection of his poems published. Herbert, the son of a prominent literary patron to whom Donne dedicated his Holy Sonnets, spent the last years of his short life as a rector in a small town.

REFERENCES: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5662