The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (1625-1798)
With the political world in turmoil -- a Civil War followed by The Restoration -- the writers strove for harmony and peace. John Donne developed a new form of cerebral, thoughtful poetry we have come to call metaphysical poetry. Like Donne, there were Puritan writers of the period who looked for inner peace, and this is reflected in their works. We'll read excerpts from several selections such as John Milton's Paradise Lost.Through his beautiful poetry, Paradise Lost shows Milton's Puritanical devotion to God. While I wish we could read every book, we can't since there are ten in the original series.
A great writer from the early Eighteenth Century's Age of Reason is Alexander Pope. He's famous for his satiric The Rape of the Lock among other works, but we'll read an except from An Essay on Man, a more introspective piece that showed the Age of Reason's preference for harmony, restraint, and clarity in their literature, as well as their interest in Man, as opposed to God and heaven.
Finally, we'll also read an interesting introduction to Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language. It's a great selection to analyze for purpose and tone. This is the first dictionary to be taken seriously as a reference book.
| Supplemental Links | ||
| Metaphysical Poets | Definition of Metaphysical Poetry | Paradise Lost |
| Essay on Man | Preface to Johnson's Dictionary | Works of Donne |