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BLOCK -6 ENGLAND UNDER STUARTS
UNIT-3 PURITANISM
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
1. Who was the author of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained?
Ans. John Milton
2. Who wrote "Lycidas"?
Ans. John Milton
3. What was the most important work of George Herbert?
Ans. The temple
4. Who started religious reformation in England?
Ans. Henry 8
5. Name the longest poem of Dryden.
Ans. Annus mirabilis
6. Who was the author of "The Harmony of Gospel"?
Ans. Edward Taylor
7. Who is considered the founder of metaphysical poetry?
Ans. John donne
8. Name the historical work written by John Milton.
Ans. history of Britain
9. Who wrote an "Essay on Man"?
Ans. Alexander pope
10. Who wrote "On the death of O.C."?
Ans. Andrew Marvel
1.discuss the role played by metaphysical poetry in the progress of puritan literature
Ans. By the seventeenth century, Elizabethan la
poetry was exhausted. Nothing seemed to be to
original and remarkable. The melodies were
sugared, and the romance was extravagant
with no intellectual depth. Some of the writers
who revolted against such a trend were Ben
Johnson and John Donne. Ben Johnson was the
founder of the classical school which reached
its full blossoming in the writing of Dryden
and Pope. He was primarily a dramatist and a
poet, too.
The works of John Donne concentrated on
passion and dramatic power. His writings were
introspective and self-analytical in nature and
a result of his own intellectual, spiritual and
pragmatic reflections. His satires were mostly
the expressions of his own experiences. He
wrote with cynical and realistic thought. He
is considered the founder of the metaphysical
school of poetry. Literally 'metaphysical'
means 'beyond physical nature'. Donne andhis followers were responsible for popularising
the metaphysical school in poetry. The term
metaphysical poetry is now applied to the
poetry of any poet who writes personal poetry
with intellectual complexity and concentration
in the manner of John Donne.
In the 17th century, the term 'metaphysical'
was used in a disparaging manner. Dryden
blamed Donne for following the "metaphysics"
and Samuel Johnson also dubbed them "the
metaphysical poets". In his influential essay
'The Metaphysical Poets,' (1921) T.S. Eliot
argued that the works of these men embody a
fusion of thought and feeling that other poets
were unable to achieve due to "a dissociation
of sensibility". It appears that the work of
these poets contains a blend of emotion
and intellectual ability, characterised by the
bringing together of apparently unconnected
things and they have the effect of disturbing
the complacent reader. Metaphysical poetry
is marked by the use of elaborative figurative
language, conceits, paradox and philosophical
topics.
2. Explain the features of puritan literature
Ans. Puritan literature is a reflection of the
Puritan experiences and the depiction of their
movement and way of life. They were in the
form of letters, diaries or journals written by
the puritan members who had travelled to the
Americas, and about their own experiences.
Many of the puritans had moved to NorthAmerica in search of religious freedom and
founded colonies such as Plymouth. They
played a vital role in the social life of America.
Most of the puritan literary expressions were
in the form of poetry, historical narratives
or sermons, with little or no contributions to
fiction. They used a simple and lucid style in
writing. They wrote in the first person and
used as plain a style as possible to avoid any
kind of complexity in comprehension. They
believed in the simplicity of life and writing
was a part of it. They approached literature
as a serious exercise and not as a means of
entertainment. The major themes of puritan
literature were based on religious and political
idealism with a stress on a pragmatic way of
life.
The works of the period projected the
biblical theme of predestination (the doctrine
that God has ordained all that will happen)
and the inevitability of sin and a strong sense
of guilt and repentance. Scriptural symbolism
is used widely in puritan literature. The books
of the Bible, especially the Old Testament
were widely used for drawing themes. The
category of writers known as Jeremiads was
split into three sections: those who hailed the
faith of the past generations, those who were
critical of the sins of the present age and those
who repeatedly appealed for resentencing and
penance. They were also interested in looking
at natural calamities and sometimes visualised
them as a sign from God. The concept of
struggles in the world and spirituality was also
accepted as themes for literary works. The use
of Greek mythology or classical literature was
avoided. The primary aim of the literature
was to convey the truth of Godly existence in
a simple and lucid way for all. For Puritans,
was meant for religious discourses.
Important writers like William Bradford,
Edward Taylor, Anne Bradstreet and John
Winthrop widely wrote about spirituality inAmerica. William Bradford wrote about honest
and hardworking folks. He was a celebrated
writer of the heroic deeds of ordinary people.
Aiming at imposing the puritan spiritual
concepts on society, they presented their own
spiritual journeys. Many American politicians
still refer to Winthrop's Model of Christian
Charity.
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