A TURBULENT TIME: 1625-1798
Timeline pages 408-409
1. What dramatic change marked English political life between 1649 and 1660?
During this time, England was not ruled by a monarch.
2. What later world events might this period have influenced?
The American Revolution, begun in 1775, may have owed some inspiration to the prior English experience of government without a king.
3. What happened in 1649?
Charles I was beheaded
4. Name two events that mark this period.
· England fought a civil war 1642
· The king was beheaded 1649
· The Puritan government collapsed 1658
· London was ravaged by fire 1666
· The glorious revolution took place 1688
· Let’s not forget full bottom wigs became fashionable (David Lockhart’s and Dani’s contribution)
TERMS to know: pages 413 – 477
5. metaphysical poetry = poetry characterized by intellectual displays and concern with philosophical issues
6. epigram = short poem in which the poet strives for brevity, clarity, and memorability
7. epitaph = the inscription on a tomb or at a burial place
8. conceit = extended comparisons that link objects or ideas not commonly associated, often mixing abstract ideas and emotional matters. Ex. Donne compares two lovers to the two legs of a drawing compass
9. cavalier = direct and colloquial language expressive of a highly individual personality
10. paradox = images or descriptions that appear self-contradictory but that reveal a deeper truth.
11. analogy = compares the relationship between one pair of things with the relationship between another pair
12. carpe diem theme = “seize the day” appears when a work warns that time is fleeting so people should enjoy or make the most of life while they can
META = GREEK MEANING CHANGE
PHYSICAL = HAVING MATERIAL EXISTENCE
Historical Background – Comprehension check pages 410-413
13. Over what did Parliament and King Charles I clash?
Parliament and the king clash over money – Parliament refused to give him any for his wars.
14. Describe Charles I’s policies regarding religion.
The King insisted that all clergymen use all of the ceremonies of the Church of England, and he persecuted religious dissenters, such as the Puritans.
15. What actions did Parliament finally take against Charles I?
Parliament named him traitor, raised an army against him, and, eventually, executed him.
16. Who led England after him?
Oliver Cromwell led England after Charles I.
17. How was the monarchy restored to England?
Parliament invited Charles’s son, Charles II, back to rule.
Literature of the Period – pages 413-417
18. Name two influential authors of the early seventeenth century? Ben Jonson and John Donne = key authors
19. What two influences combined in John Milton’s poetry?
He combined a humanist appreciation of the Greek and Latin classics with a Calavinist’s devotion to God.
20. Name two literary genres that came into prominence after the Restoration of Charles II?
· Drama – after Charles reopened the theaters
· 1st Novel, Robinson Crusoe, and Essayistic Periodicals
21. Define neoclassical style: whom did they model their style after and what three things did this include?
Neoclassical style = modeled after classical writers, emphasizing harmony, restraint, and clarity
22. What new class of readers began to influence literature in the eighteenth century?
The growing middle classes were the audience for the novels and periodical essays of the day.