1、Lecture 4 The 17th Century,The period of Revolution and Restoration,I. Social Background,The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous动荡的 periods in English history. Conflicts and clashes appeared between the King and the Parliament, which represented the bourgeois class. In 1642, a civil war (En
2、glish revolution) broke out between Charles I and the parliament. At last, the royalists were defeated by the parliament army led by Oliver Cromwell. In 1649 Charles I was beheaded, and England was declared to be a commonwealth(联邦).,Charles I,Oliver Cromwell painting by Robert Walker; in the Nationa
3、l Portrait Gallery, London.,Cromwell became the lord protector (护国公)of Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 to 1658 during the republican Commonwealth.,After the death of Cromwell, the parliament recalled Charlesto England in 1660 and monarchy was restored, then followed the Restoration Period. In 1688,
4、the bourgeoisie invite William, prince of Orange, from Holland to be king of England. This is called the “Glorious Revolution”. This bloodless event completed the bourgeoisie revolution and modern England was firmly established.,William III,Mary II,The Glorious Revolution,College of William and Mary
5、,Reigns in the 17th Century,The English revolution was carried out under a religious cloak. So, English revolution also called the Puritan revolution清教革命, which aimed to make man honest and to make man free. Puritanism was the religious doctrine of the revolutionary bourgeoisie during this period. I
6、t preached thrift勤俭, sobriety节制, hard work, but with very little extravagant enjoyment of the fruits of labor. Worldly pleasures were condemned as harmful.,II. The English Revolution and Puritanism,So in the triumph of Puritanism under Cromwell, severe laws were passed, many simple pleasures were fo
7、rbidden and an austere（苦行的）standard of living was forced upon an unwilling people. The London theaters were closed in 1642. The whole spirit of the movement: fighting for liberty and justice，overthrowing despotism暴政 and making mens life and property safe from the tyranny专制 of rulers.,Changes in 17th
8、 Century England,Political change: The form of Englands government changed from absolute monarchy (until 1642) to Puritan commonwealth (1642-1660) to constitutional（宪法的）monarchy (after 1660 and more so after 1688) The center of political power changed from the court (aristocracy) (until 1642),to the
9、 Parliament and City (commons, middle class) (after 1642) Religious change: The status of English churches changed from the Church of England as the only legal church (until 1642) to a Puritan state church (1642-1660) to the re-establishment of the Church of England, but as one of many churches (166
10、0 until the present),III. Literature of the 17th century,English literature of the revolution and restoration was very much concerned with the tremendous social upheavals（大动荡）of the time.,Literature of the Revolution Period,General Characteristics The Revolution Period was one of confusion in litera
11、ture due to the breaking up of the old ideals. The Puritans believed in simplicity of life. They disapproved of the sonnets and the love poetry written in the previous period. Literature in the Puritan Age expressed age and sadness. Even its brightest hours were followed by gloom and pessimism. Roma
12、ntic ardor can not be found in literature of the Puritan period.,John Milton, whose work would glorify any age and people, and in his work the indomitable（不屈服的）revolutionary spirit found its noblest expression. For this reason, this period is also called Age of Milton The main literary form of the p
13、eriod was poetry. Besides Milton, there were two other groups of poets, the Metaphysical Poets and the Cavalier Poets.,Literary Genres of the Revolution Period,1. Poetry Metaphysical Poets Cavalier Poets John Milton 2. Prose John Bunyan Other prose-writers,The Metaphysical poetry,The term was coined
14、 by John Dryden (1693) Samuel Johnson later used the term to describe the poetic method. The term is commonly used to name the work of the 17th writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.,With a rebellious spirit, the metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of t
15、he Elizabethan love poetry. The diction is simple as compared with that of the Elizabethan or the Neoclassic periods, and echoes the words and cadences (抑扬顿挫)of common speech. The imagery is drawn from the actual life. The form is frequently that of an argument with the poets beloved, with God, or w
16、ith himself.,Representatives: John Donne (1572-1631) George Herbert (1593-1633) is “the saint of the Metaphysical School”(玄学派诗圣). His chief work is a collection called The Temple神殿, which includes his 160 short poems.,The Call Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life: Such a way as gives us breath; Such a tr
17、uth as ends all strife, Such a life as killeth death. Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength: Such a light as shows a feast, Such a feast as mends in length, Such a strength as makes his guest. Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart: Such a joy as none can move, Such a love as none can part, Such a heart as
18、 joys in love.,Conceit,Conceit (奇喻):an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing, usurping (篡改）and manipulating images and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparis
19、on.,Cavalier Poets,Another school of poetry prevailing in the period were the Cavalier Poets. Most of these poets were courtiers and soldiers. They sided with the king to fight against the revolution. The representatives of this school are Sir John Suckling (1609-1642), Richard Lovelace (1618-1657),
20、 Thomas Carew (1595-1639), and Robert Herrick (1591-1674).,Literature of the Restoration,Restoration literature is deeply influenced by French classical taste. It is a period of French influence.,general characteristics of the Restoration,The tendency to vulgar realism in the drama: Restoration writ
21、ers sought to paint realistic pictures of a corrupt society. A general formalism: they produced coarse （粗糙的）, low plays without interest or moral significance. The development of a simpler and more direct prose style.The prevalence of the heroic couplet in poetry.,John Donne (1573-1631),The founder
22、of the Metaphysical School and very influential upon modern writers; at his time, Donne was a preacher famous for his magnificent sermons.,Life Experience,born in London to a prominent Roman Catholic family but converted to Anglicanism during the 1590s. At the age of 7, he was sent to Trinity Colleg
23、e, Cambridge. At the age of 11 he entered the University of Oxford, where he studied for three years.,According to some accounts, he spent the next three years at the University of Cambridge but took no degree at either university. He began the study of law at Lincolns Inn, London, in 1592, and he s
24、eemed destined for a legal or diplomatic career. Donne was appointed private secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, Keeper of the Great Seal, in 1598.,His secret marriage in 1601 to Egertons niece, Anne More, resulted in his dismissal from this position and in a brief imprisonment. During the next few yea
25、rs Donne made a meager (贫乏的) living as a lawyer. became a priest of the Anglican Church in 1615 and was appointed royal chaplain (神父) later that year.,In 1621was named dean of St. Pauls Cathedral. attained eminence as a preacher, delivering sermons that are regarded as the most brilliant and eloquen
26、t (雄辩) of his time.,Part of the house where John Donne lived in Pyrford.,A portrait of Donne as a young man, c. 1595. Artist unknown.,A few months before his death, Donne commissioned this portrait of himself as he expected to appear when he rose from the grave at the Apocalypse(天启).,Donnes Literary
27、 Creation,In his life, Donne wrote a large number of poems and prose works. His poems are especially admired for their unique combination of passionate feeling and intellectual wit. Many of his poems rank with the finest in the English language. Among his most famous works are the poems Death Be Not
28、 Proud, Go and Catch a Falling Star, The Ecstasy, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning.,His Early Poems,Donnes earliest poems showed a developed knowledge of English society coupled with sharp criticism of its problems. His satires dealt with common Elizabethan topics, such as corruption in the legal
29、system, mediocre(普通的)poets, and pompous courtiers.,Donnes early career was also notable for his erotic poetry, especially his elegies, in which he employed unconventional metaphors, such as a flea biting two lovers being compared to sex. In Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed, he poetically undr
30、essed his mistress and compared the act of fondling(爱抚)to the exploration of America. Donne did not publish these poems, although did allow them to circulate widely in manuscript form.,Most of The Elegies, Satires and a good many of The Songs and Sonnets were written in this period.,Later Poetry,His
31、 numerous illnesses, financial strain, and the deaths of his friends all contributed to the development of a more somber and pious tone in his later poems. The increasing gloominess of Donnes tone may also be observed in the religious works that he began writing during the same period.,His early bel
32、ief in the value of skepticism now gave way to a firm faith in the traditional teachings of the Bible. Having converted to the Anglican Church, Donne focused his literary career on religious literature. He quickly became noted for his sermons (some 160 in all) and religious poems.,The lines of these
33、 sermons would come to influence future works of English literature, such as Ernest Hemingways For Whom the Bell Tolls, which took its title from a passage in Meditation XVII of Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Thomas Mertons No Man is an Island, which took its title from the same source.,An A
34、rt Cover for some of John Donnes most popular poetry, his Divine Poems,Major Works,Early works: Songs and Sonnets( written before 1600, 55 love poems) The Flea 跳蚤Song歌Womans Constancy 女人的忠贞A Valediction : of Weeping别离辞：谈哭泣A Valediction: Forbidding MourningReligious poems and sermons,Donnes Writing S
35、tyle,The use of conceits: easy ones and difficult ones, which rely largely on choice of imagery, only Donnes images are linked with new resources such as law, psychology and philosophy. The involvement of a certain kind of argument: raising a topic and trying to persuade, convince or upbraid(责备)him.
36、,John Donnes poetry represented a shift from classical forms to more personal poetre. Donne is noted for his poetic metre, which was structured with changing and jagged rhythms that closely resemble casual speech,Excerpts from a sermon by Donne: “ No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is
37、a piece of the continent Each mans death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankindAnd therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. ”Back,Song,Go and catch a falling star, Get with child a mandrake root,Tell me where all past years are, Or who cleft the Devils foot,Teac
38、h me to hear mermaids singing, Or to keep off envys stinging, And find What wind Serves to advance an honest mind.,走，去捕捉流星 用曼德拉草根受孕， 告诉我那些逝去的岁月在哪里， 或是谁劈开了魔鬼的脚跟， 教我如何才能听到美人鱼的歌声， 或是如何避开嫉妒的芒针， 找寻 什么样的风 才能将真心吹送前行。,The first stanza of the poem is a list of impossible tasks, all of which Donne compares to
39、 finding an honest, good woman.,The poem begins with a strong yet impossible command: “Go and catch a falling star”. Already Donne has demonstrated something that is basically impossible. He does not use fallen but “falling,” showing that hope is not all lost and that although the star (often a symb
40、ol of hope and faith) is falling, it has not completely hit the ground yet. So, while Donne asks the impossible he still exhibits hope. He then states to “Get with child a mandrake root.” By using “child” and “mandrake root,” Donne exemplifies the deception of the root and the impossibility of getti
41、ng a child from the root.,In the third and fourth line, Donne orders the reader to tell him exactly everything about the past and who split the Devils hoof. Both, including his desire to hear mermaids sing, are mysteries that are impossible to solve. Also, the devils hoof and mandrake root resemble
42、each other with 3 prongs each, symbolizing the multiplicities and deception of women which is furthered by Donnes mention of mermaids, creatures that are women only from the waist up and lure men to death with their beautiful voices.,Donnes bitterness is revealed in the sixth to ninth lines, “Or to
43、keep off envys stinging an honest mind.” The envy he speaks of is the envy of others that lust after another mans woman, and he argues that it is impossible for jealous ones not to torment and compete with the man they are envious of. Donne also implies that honesty is never awarded because he has n
44、ot found a wind that has brought prosperity to the honest mind, something he believes to be impossible to find. In modern day terms, “Nice guys finish last.”,If thou best born to strange sights, Things invisible to see,Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age snow white hairs on thee;Thou, when t
45、hou returnst, wilt tell meAll strange wonders that befell thee, And swear No whereLives a woman true, and fair.,如果你与生赋予慧眼通灵， 可以看见万物之无形， 那就请昼夜兼程行进千万里， 直到岁月在你的发间染上雪痕； 当你回来时，要告诉我 所有曾降临在你身边的惊奇， 再发誓 世间哪有 女子，美丽又真情,In the second stanza Donne implies that no matter how long and far one searches, the perfect
46、 woman will never be found.,He achieves this by comparing finding that woman to a “strange sight” and uses the paradoxical concept of “Things invisible go see.” He is telling the reader to go see something invisible, which is obviously impossible and extremely mocking, much like his first stanza. He
47、 then says to the reader that he can “Ride ten thousand days and nights” until his hair turns gray but when he comes back, he will tell tales of all the strange wonders that befell thee,” but he will not have found a woman that is both true and fair.,Donnes diction mocks that of a fairy tale. By usi
48、ng “ten thousand day and nights” and “snow white.” Donne plays with a fairy tale tone in the second stanza, obviously to reflect his telling of an imaginary journey but also to add to his argument that a true and fair female is only found in make-believe stories and tall tales and to find one would
49、be unrealistic.,If thou findst one, let me know, Such a pilgrimage were sweet;Yet do not, I would not go, Though at next door we might meet:Though she were true, when you met her,And last, till you write your letter, Yet she Will beFalse, ere I come, to two or three.,如果你真的找到，请告诉我， 如此苦行也会变得甜蜜； 但是不，我不愿去， 虽然，也许在下一道门我们就会相逢； 虽然，当你遇见她时，她真挚单纯， 虽然，当你写信给我时，她依然天真， 然而，她， 注定会， 在我到来之前，对着二三个男人，假意虚情,In the third stanza, Donne shows a slight hint of optimism but quickly recedes back to his cynical state of mind, dismissing women as highly deceptive creatures.,
