DSC English III Sem Course 5 and 6 Paper-min PDF

0 Bengaluru City University 1 Bengaluru City University FOREWORD Discipline Specific Core Course-English- Text book Literary Musings for III Semester B.A under Bengaluru City University (BCU), has been designed with the objecti...

0 Bengaluru City University 1 Bengaluru City University FOREWORD Discipline Specific Core Course-English- Text book Literary Musings for III Semester B.A under Bengaluru City University (BCU), has been designed with the objectives of introducing multiple areas of writings in English Literature along with translations in English. Course 5 and course 6 is intended to develop the students’ ability to read, process, think critically and independently. This is the Text Book for Undergraduate students of BA, BCU, Bengaluru, prepared by the members of the Text Book Committee in accordance with NEP 2020. I congratulate the Text Book Committee’s tireless task of framing and collating the materials and I am confident that these text books would further enhance their knowledge and interest in literature. The two text books indeed would facilitate teachers to interpret and improve the methods of teaching in the class room. I thank the Director of Bengaluru City University Press and their personnel for bringing out the third semester textbooks deftly and on time. I hope that both the books would enable practical and experiential learning. Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi Vice-Chancellor Bengaluru City University Bengaluru-560001 LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 1 2 Bengaluru City University MEMBERS OF BOARD OF STUDIES IN ENGLISH (UG) Dr. T.N. Thandava Gowda Chairman, PG Dept. of English, BCU Dr. Rajaram Mrs. Ayesha Firdose Associate Professor & Head Associate Professor Vijaya Department of English College, Jayanagar St. Joseph’s College of Commerce Bengaluru-560011 Bengaluru- 560095 Dr. P. Sartaj Khan Associate Dr. Padmavathy. K Professor & Head Professor & Head Department of English Department of English Al-Ameen Arts, Science Sindhi College &Commerce College Bengaluru- 560024 Bengaluru- 560027 Mrs. Leena Karanth Dr. R.V. Sheela Associate Professor & Head Associate Professor & Head Bishop Cotton Women’s College Department of English MES Degree Bengaluru-560027 College of Art,Science & Commerce Malleswaram Mrs. Prasanna Udipikar Bengaluru-560003 Associate Professor & Head Department of English VVN Degree College Bengaluru- Dr. Anitha Rao 560004 Associate Professor& Head Department of English Govt. Science College Nrupathunga Dr. Narasimharaju University Bengaluru-560001 Associate Professor & Head Govt. R.C College of Commerce & Dr. Kavitha Shastri Management, Associate Professor & Head Bengaluru-560001 Vijaya College, Jayanagar Bangalore-560001 LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 2 3 Bengaluru City University MEMBERS OF THE TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE (BCU) Dr. Padmavathy.K Professor & Head Department of English Sindhi College Bangalore- 560024 Chairperson TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE MEMBERS Dr. Susheela B Dr. R.V. Sheela Jyothi Nivas College, Member, Board of Studies Bengaluru Associate Professor & Head Department of English MES Prof. Ranisha Degree College of Arts, Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies, Science & Commerce, Bengaluru Malleswaram Bengaluru-560003 Prof. Adhishakthi Prof. Rita Josephine M S Ramaiah College of Arts, Bishop Cotton Women’s Christian Science & Commerce, Bengaluru College, Bengaluru Prof. Manjula Veerappa Vijaya College, Bengaluru Prof. Shashidhar. S Acharya Institute of Graduate Studies, Bengaluru LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 3 4 Bengaluru City University PREFACE The Discipline Specific Core Course English Text book for III Semester B.A, Literary Musings- comprising of British Literature up to 1800 – course 5 and Indian Literature in Translation- course 6- reinforces a wide range of genres like novel, drama, short stories, poems, etc. Third semester students are by now familiar with various genres and literary terms. Theywould find it further interesting to learn about British literature and translated works. Course 5 of the syllabus introduces students to a brief history of English literature, major authors and their works and also a play by the greatest playwright William Shakespeare. Course 6 provides an understanding of the significance of translation studies, a knowledge of translated poems, novel and short stories. This syllabus is designed and organized to abide to a greater extent to the frame work expected to achieve the desired goals of NEP 2020. I would like to thank the concerned Chairperson and her team of teachers who have worked methodically to accomplish the vested task. I thank the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of Bengaluru City University for their consistent support. I also thank the publisher, who helped us to bring out the book ontime. Dr. Thandava Gowda Chairman, Board of Studies, UG LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 4 5 Bengaluru City University A Note to the Teacher Literary Musings, the Discipline Specific Core Course- English BA Text Book for the Third semester undergraduate Arts under Bengaluru City University is intended to develop in students an inclusive outlook, inculcate ethical thinking and aesthetic appeal. The selected areas of study in British Literature is fascinating and engaging. British literature up to 1800 deals with a brief history of English literature and also provides an in-depth knowledge about eminent writers of English literature. Thus students would obtain an insight into the lives of prominent writers and their popular works. In third semester teachers can screen the play of William Shakespeare and also the lives of popular writers, which would enable the students to obtain visual impact of the work. Teachers have the choice of designing the activity for awarding internal marks.Summative Assessment 60 marks Formative Assessment (IA) 40 marks Total 100 marks Each Course carries 3 credits, therefore for Course 5 and Course 6 it would be 3+3=6 credit FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Internal test 10 Assignment 10 Presentation- (Seminar/Webinar) 10 Writing an Anthology ( Group or individual Activity) 10 Or Self- written Poems/ Prose/ Short stories Total 40 The formative assessment should involve the following activities to provide real life experience for the students -where practical learning takes place.  The Students should be made to involve in participative learning/ experiential learning/ collaborative learning for formative assessment.  Designing and organizing seminars should provide a platform for encouraging students’ critical thinking and cross-disciplinary connections. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 5 6 Bengaluru City University  An anthology is a collection of literary works. Anthology writing would train students in word-building, character development, creating plots and subplots. The Committee expresses its sincere thanks to Dr. Thandava Gowda, Chairman, Board of Studies, Bengaluru City University for his consistent support and direction. The Committeealso thanks Prof. Lingaraj Gandhi, the Honorable Vice Chancellor of Bengaluru City University for his support in bringing out the new text book. Dr. PADMAVATHY.K CHAIRPERSON, TEXT BOOK COMMITTEE LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 6 9 Bengaluru City University Discipline Specific Core Course- BA English (Hons.) SEMESTER- III Course 5 British Literature up to 1800 Course 6 Indian Literature in Translation At the end of the semester students would hone the following skills: (EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOME)  Be enriched with the knowledge of British literature and the eminent writers up to 1800  To understand multiple areas of writings in English Language and translations in English  Become familiar with the art of translation  Sensitization of issues prevalent in the given texts  Develop analytical and interpretative skills  Locate and contextualize texts across theoretical orientations  Explore texts and contexts of writings and readings, from varied spaces LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 9 10 Bengaluru City University SEMESTER-III COURSE - 5 DSC BA English Title of the Course: British Literature up to 1800 COURSE-5 Total Hrs - 45 FROM CHAUCER TO THE AGE OF TRANSITION UNIT-1 10 hrs HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE ( Up TO 1800) The social context of Medieval English Literature, Renaissance, Metaphysical Poetry, Restoration Drama, 18th Century prose, Development of Novel in 18th Century, Neo-Classical and Transitional Poetry UNIT-II 10 hrs MAJOR AUTHORS AND WORKS Geoffrey Chaucer, Francis Bacon, Ben Jonson, John Milton, Alexander Pope, Dr. Samuel Johnson, John Bunyan, Aphra Behn, Elizabeth Cary- UNIT- III 25 hrs REPRESENTATIVE TEXTS  Sonnet 18 Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day-William Shakespeare  On His Blindness- John Milton  Lyric- Lover’s Infiniteness- John Donne  A Poison Tree- William Blake  Essay- Sir Roger at Church- Joseph Addison  Man in Black- Oliver Goldsmith  Play- The Merchant of Venice- William Shakespeare Teaching material Note: Teachers should explore the web/online resources to access the various concepts and illustrative examples. Books Recommended and Suggested Reading 1. Andrew Sanders, English Literature, OUP, 2005 2. Edward Albert, History of English Literature, OUP, 2014 3. M. H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms, Cengage Publishers, New Delhi. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 10 11 Bengaluru City University From Chaucer to the Age of Transition Unit – I History of English Literature I) The Social context of Medieval English Literature The earliest literary period which can meaningfully be called “English” can be divided into two major periods, each of which describes the state of development of the English language. Old English (ca. 600- 1100) is the oldest form of the language attested, and it was spoken by a people now known as Anglo- Saxons. As the name suggests, they were a mixed group originally from North Germany (Anglia and Saxony, among other places). Several Medieval historians, such as the Venerable Bede and Gildas, memorably describe how these Germanic peoples invaded England, displacing the native Roman-Britons (now the Welsh) in the mid fifth century under the command of two brothers, Hengest and Horsa. This invasion was often later read as God's punishment upon the Britons for becoming a corrupt Christian people. To be clear, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were pagan peoples when they arrived in England. However, they were missionized by Augustine of Canterbury by papal decree beginning in 597, making them among the earliest Germanic people to convert to Christianity over the course of the sixth century. The story of the rise of the English church is told by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Having come from so many different places, it is not surprising that the Anglo-Saxons spoke an array of dialects. Although there was no real “standard” form of Old English, toward the end of the period, King Alfred’s large-scale book-making project ensured that many of our existing texts were copied (sometimes translated even) in the Late West Saxon dialect. To modern eyes, Old English does not look much like English at all, and one usually approaches it as a foreign language. It functions somewhat like modern German, with more elaborate noun cases and verb forms than we have now. The Middle English period begins sometime after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 (The Battle of Hastings); the language can safely be called “Middle” by the year 1300. While difficult to read for modern speakers of English, one can usually make something of a Middle English text without formal linguistic study, though there are subtleties of grammar and vocabulary that repay close linguistic attention. For a quick introduction to the changes involved in the history of the English language. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 11 12 Bengaluru City University The three main influences on medieval literature are- Medieval literature is best understood in the context of three powerful influences on medieval society: feudalism, the church, and a code of conduct called chivalry. The main characteristics of medieval English literature:- Impersonality/Anonymity One of the most important characteristics of Middle English literature is its impersonality, by which I mean that most of its literature was anonymous, and we don't know the names of those who wrote it. The reason is partly that then, people were interested in the poem rather than in the poet. Examples of literature based on Medieval society: A few examples, such as the Old English Beowulf, the Middle High German Nibelungenlied, the Medieval Greek Digenis Acritas, the Old East Slavic Tale of Igor's Campaign, and the Old French Chanson de Roland. Historical developments in the Medieval Period:- The period saw major technological advances, including the adoption of gunpowder, the invention of vertical windmills, spectacles, mechanical clocks, and greatly improved water mills, building techniques (Gothic architecture, medieval castles), and agriculture in general (three-field crop rotation). II) Renaissance: - The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 12 13 Bengaluru City University century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art. In the 14th century, Italian artists began to revive the heritage of Greek and Roman Antiquity. This is why this period is called the “Renaissance”, a word which comes from the Italian Rinascita, which was first used in the 14th century.  The Renaissance Period Transformed Society from Darkness to Light.  Humanism Was the Main Philosophy.  The Medici Family Were Major Patrons of the Movement.  The Height of the Renaissance Was Called the “High Renaissance” The seven characteristics of the Renaissance are as follows:  Rebirth of Naturalism.  Perspective and Depth in Art.  Create Non-Religious Themes.  Privately Owned Art.  Advancements in new technologies such as printing and gunpowder.  Shift in balance of power among Europe's ruling elite. III) Metaphysical poetry: - The term ‘metaphysical’ is loosely applied to a group of seventeenth century poets such as John Donne, Andrew Marvell, Henry Vaughan, George Herbert and Richard Crashaw. These poets did not belong to a school of poetry but were united by a ‘common characteristics of wit, inventiveness and a love of elaborate stylistic manoeuvres. Their poetry was rich in intellectual complexity. Metaphysical poetry is a group of poems that share common characteristics: they are all highly intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox and contain extremely complicated thought. The term Metaphysical poets was coined by the critic Samuel Johnson to describe a loose group of 17th- century English poets whose work was characterised by the inventive use of conceits, and by a greater emphasis on the spoken rather than lyrical quality of their verse. These poets were not formally affiliated and few were highly regarded until 20th century attention established their importance. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 13 14 Bengaluru City University Given the lack of coherence as a movement, and the diversity of style among poets, it has been suggested that calling them Baroque poets after their era might be more useful. Once the Metaphysical style was established, however, it was occasionally adopted by other and especially younger poets to fit appropriate circumstances. John Dryden was the first to use the term ‘metaphysic ‘in his criticism of Donne. Characteristics of Metaphysical poetry: - Although the metaphysical poets did not deliberately write their work in the same style, Johnson was not wrong in pointing out some of the connections between their works. The major characteristics of metaphysical poetry include metaphysical conceits, colloquial diction, philosophical exploration, and Platonic ideals. The poets who developed this style lived in a time when scientific discoveries were changing the way people thought about the world, and new kinds of thought were cropping up. Though they did not always write about the same subjects, all of the metaphysical poets wrote work that was highly intellectualized, used strange imagery, contained complicated thought, and above all, contained strong examples of wit. IV. Restoration Drama: The term “restoration” in Restoration drama refers to the return of the monarchy to England after something more than a decade of Puritan rule. Yet the term might with equal justice be applied to the stage itself, for during the Commonwealth interregnum, Puritan authorities repeatedly endeavored, though with limited success, to banish public performances of plays. From September 2, 1642, when Parliament proclaimed that “while these sad causes and set times of humiliation do continue, public stage-plays shall cease, and be forborne,” until August 21, 1660, when King Charles II granted patents to Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant to establish theatres, drama in England led a precarious existence. Late seventeenth century British drama enjoyed a restoration in more than a political sense. As the political structure of the country returned to an older form, so, too, the drama, at least initially, looked back to pre- Commonwealth days to find its conventions, plots, characters, and themes. Indeed, in 1660 no new plays were available when the theatres reopened. Furthermore, both Davenant and Killigrew were products of the earlier period, having acted and written during the reign of Charles I, and most of the surviving actors—many had been killed fighting for the king in the Civil War—knew only the older dramatic LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 14 15 Bengaluru City University conventions. During the Restoration period, about 175 pre-Commonwealth plays were revived, and among plays acted frequently over the years, about half date from before 1660. Over the next forty years, however, English drama took on a voice peculiar to the age. The period’s major contributions were the comedy of manners or wit and the heroic tragedy, both of which emerged rather quickly and endured throughout the era. Alongside these predominant forms, other types of comic and serious plays coexisted on the stage. Among the former were burlesques and farces, political satires, and comedies of intrigue; among the latter, operas and pastorals. Toward the end of the century, domestic or pathetic tragedy offered some variety to the theatre going public. Two kinds of developments are noticed in this period, namely the Heroic Plays and the Comedy of Manners. These plays were quite different from Elizabethan plays in some ways. Heroic plays showed the heroic virtues in noble men and the women were described as wonderfully beautiful. The tragic drama of this period was made up of heroic plays which were mainly written in heroic couplet. The main character in these plays was torn between the patriotic duty to their country and their duty as a lover. In these dramas we find brave heroes, beautiful women, a great deal of shouting and nonsense things. John Dryden was a famous dramatist of restoration period. He was a genius who had perfect command over stagecraft. His plays were greatly successful on the stage. His best heroic plays were ‘The Conquest of Granada’ and ‘Aurangzeb’ which he had used the rhymed form. The second one is about the struggle for empire in India. His famous play ‘All for Love’ deals with the tragic love of Antony and Cleopatra and it was written in blank verse. The most popular form of Restoration Drama. These plays would typically mock the upper-class and would usually include vulgar and sexually suggestive language. Some of the main characteristics are: -  Comedy -These plays centralized around a specific character who had an overshadowing trait. Comedy of Manners of Manners. The Comedy of Manners is a theatrical genre that was uber- popular during the Restoration period.  Satire. The Restoration writers couldn't get enough satire.  Heroic Couplet  Social Life. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 15 16 Bengaluru City University  Politics.  Faith.  Restoration of Monarchy.  Rejection of Puritanism. V) 18th Century Prose: - Matthew Arnold stated that the eighteenth century was the age of 'prose & reason'. It is called so because no good poetry was written at that age and poetry itself became 'prosaic'. The eighteenth century is also referred as the Augustan Age or Neoclassical Age. The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and cultural movement in the eighteenth century that emphasized reason over superstition and science over blind faith. This was a sharp turn away from the prevailing idea that people needed to rely on scripture or church authorities for knowledge. The 18th century was an age of tolerance, moderation, and common sense. Nevertheless, it was in cultured circles sought to refine manners and introduce into life the rule of sweet reasonableness. The exhibition of vices and follies of the society affected the literature of the 18th century significantly. Hence, it becomes imperative to know the social, political, religious and economic conditions of the age to appreciate the literature of the time. The period of 18th Century is known by variety of names. 1. The Augustan Age 2. Neo-Classical Age 3. The Age of Prose & Reason The 18th century period is supposed to be very fertile period in the development of prose work. It’s called by a variety of names. 1. The Augustan Age: - The original Augustan Age was the brilliant period of Virgil, Horace and Ovid under the Roman Emperor Augustus (27 B.C- 14 A.D). Since the eighteenth century, the term has also has been applied LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 16 17 Bengaluru City University to the period in England from approximately 1700 to 1745, on the ground that the leading writers of the period (such as Pope Swift, Addison and Steele) greatly admired the Roman Augustans, themselves drew the parallel between the two Ages and deliberately imitated their literary forms and subjects, their emphasis on social concerns and their ideals of moderation, decorum and urbanity. The poet Goldsmith was the first to call it ‘The Augustan Age’. 2. Neo-Classical Age: - (The Age of Pope and Dr. Johnson) The period of English History from 1700-1798, commonly conferred to as the Pseudo-Classical or Neo-Classical Age which can be divided into two-The early half from 1700-1740 which is called as Age of Pope and the latter half of the century from 1740- 1798 may be called the Age of Dr. Johnson, who was the leading literary figure. The Age saw the rise of the social Novel and Essay and the development of modern prose style. 3. The Age of Prose & Reason: - Mathew Arnold called it by this name and it was chronicled the triumph of English prose. The new interests of the age, a rising from the changed political and social condition, demanded expression through pamphlets, magazines and newspapers. The result is the development of prose, a development which astonishes us by its rapidity and excellence. Some of the main characteristics of Literature in this period are: - 1. The classical tradition 2. The Romantic Spirit 3. A Return of Nature 4. Increasing preference to Simplicity 5. Revival of colourful Middle Ages 6. Emphasis on Individual Interests 7. Transition from Pseudo-classicism to Romanticism VI) Development of Novel in the 18th Century: - LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 17 18 Bengaluru City University Origin of a Novel A novel is an invented prose narrative of significant length and complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience. Its roots can be traced back thousands of years, though its origins in English are traditionally placed in the 18th century. It is a fictitious prose narrative or tale presenting a picture of real life. The idea we have of the novel comes from the 18th century; before that time there were plenty of forms of prose fiction that did not present a picture of real life. The 18th century marked the period where novels were distributed on a large scale, and a certain level of demand arose among English readers. This demand is also due to people's desire for reading about everyday events, events which went on to shape the lives and actions of fictional characters. The rise of the novel was a result of the democratic movement. The spread of education increased the number of readers. The appearance of newspapers and magazines developed the habit of reading. New prose style developed and the drama declined. These things made way for the 18'th century novel. Some factors that contributed in the Rise of the 18th Century Novel:  The Decline of Drama.  Rise of the Periodical Essays.  Ready Material.  Rise of Common People.  No Limitation for Classicism.  Rise of the Realism. VII) Neo -Classical and Transitional Poetry Origin of Neo-Classicism: After the Renaissance--a period of exploration and expansiveness--came a reaction in the direction of order and restraint. Generally speaking, this reaction developed in France in the mid-seventeenth century and in England thirty years later; and it dominated European literature until the last part of the eighteenth LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 18 19 Bengaluru City University century.Regarding English literature, the Neoclassical Age is typically divided into three periods: the Restoration Age (1660-1700), the Augustan Age (1700-1750), and the Age of Johnson (1750-1798). It was started by the earliest Neoclassical painters were Joseph-Marie Vien, Anton Raphael Mengs, Pompeo Batoni, Angelica Kauffmann, and Gavin Hamilton, Those artists were active during the 1750s, '60s, and '70s.The period is called neoclassical because its writers looked back to the ideals and art forms of classical times, emphasizing even more than their Renaissance predecessors the classical ideals of order and rational control Key poets associated with the school of neoclassical poetry included John Milton, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Oliver Goldsmith. Major works included epics and satires, such as Pope's The Rape of the Lock or Milton's Paradise Lost.The Neo-Classical Poets or the transitional poets also adored the wild, fantastic, abnormal and the supernatural. Their poetry was no longer coffee house poetry and they appreciated the realm of nature. They emphasized individualism and their works became more subjective than objective. Man, and Nature became centre of their works. Characteristics of Neo-Classicism Neoclassicism is characterized by clarity of form, sober colors, shallow space, strong horizontal and verticals that render that subject matter timeless (instead of temporal as in the dynamic Baroque works), and classical subject matter. Transitional Poetry (1850-1898) The second half of the eighteenth century is known as a transitional period. It was an era of change from pseudo-classicism to romanticism. The decline of party spirit and the democratic upsurge exercised great influence both on life and literature. The transitional poetry marks the beginning of a reaction against the rational, intellectual, formal, artificial and unromantic poetry of the age of Pope and Johnson. It was marked by a strong reaction against stereotyped rules. The transitional poets derived inspiration from Spenser, Shakespeare and Milton. Unlike the Augustan poetry, it is poetry of countryside, of common and ordinary people, and not of the fashionable, aristocratic society and town life. Love of nature and human life characterise this poetry. The transitional poets revolted against the conventional poetic style and diction of the Augustan poetry. They LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 19 20 Bengaluru City University aimed at achieving simplicity of expression. This poetry appealed to emotions and imagination. It is marked by the development of naturalism. Crabbe, Burns, Blake and many others are the pioneers of naturalism. The transitional poets are the forerunners of the splendid outburst of the romantic poetry of the nineteenth century. James Thomson, Oliver Goldsmith, Thomas Gray, William Collins, William Cowper, Mark Akenside are the popular writers of this period. Questions for Discussions I. Answer the following briefly: - 1. Name some of the developments that took place in the Medieval Age. 2. Give two reasons why Renaissance took place in Italy. 3. Who coined the term Metaphysical & why? 4. Whys is Restoration period important? 5. How were the novels developed in the 18th century? 6. What caused the beginning of Neo-Classical and why was it important? 7. Why was the Transitional poetry called as the Golden Age? II. Answer the following in Detail: - 1. What are the main characteristics of Medieval Age? 2. Define the term ‘Renaissance and some of its main characteristics. 3. Explain the main elements of Meta-physical poetry. 4. What marks the beginning of Restoration period and explain the main features of it? 5. What are some of the factors that contributed to the rise of the 18th century novel? 6. Whys is neoclassical age important? Mention some of its themes. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 20 21 Bengaluru City University UNIT-II MAJOR AUTHORS AND WORKS Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (l. c. 1343-1400 CE) was a medieval English poet, writer, and philosopher best known for his work The Canterbury Tales, a masterpiece of world literature. The Canterbury Tales is a work of poetry featuring a group of pilgrims from different social classes on a journey to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury who agree to tell each other stories to pass the time. Chaucer was well acquainted with people from all classes, and this is evident in the details he chooses as well as the accents employed, how the people dress, and even their hairstyles. The Canterbury Tales has therefore been invaluable to later scholars as a kind of snapshot of medieval life. Chaucer was a prolific writer, creating many other fine works which have been overshadowed by The Canterbury Tales. None of his pieces were technically published during his lifetime as that concept had not yet been invented. His works were hand-copied by scribes who admired them and either sold or shared them. Chaucer did not make a living from his writing, as his occupations and salaries from court records attest, but was honored for his poetry by noble patrons in other ways.. He is commonly regarded as the Father of English Literature. He rented a home near Westminster Abbey, where he died in October of LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 21 22 Bengaluru City University 1400 CE. He was buried in the abbey but his grave would mark the first of the famous Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey where many great writers and poets have been buried or memorialized since. His major works are: The Book of the Duchess , The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls ,Troilus and Criseyde ,The Legend of Good Women and The Canterbury Tales. Francis Bacon Sir Francis Bacon (1561—1626) (later Lord Verulam and the Viscount St. Albans) was an English lawyer, statesman, essayist, historian, intellectual reformer, philosopher, and champion of modern science. Early in his career he claimed “all knowledge as his province” and afterwards dedicated himself to a wholesale revaluation and re-structuring of traditional learning. To take the place of the established tradition (a miscellany of Scholasticism, humanism, and natural magic), he proposed an entirely new system based on empirical and inductive principles and the active development of new arts and inventions, a system whose ultimate goal would be the production of practical knowledge for “the use and benefit of men” and the relief of the human condition. At the same time that he was founding and promoting this new project for the advancement of learning, LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 22 23 Bengaluru City University Bacon was also moving up the ladder of state service. His career aspirations had been largely disappointed under Elizabeth I, but with the ascension of James his political fortunes rose. Knighted in 1603, he was then steadily promoted to a series of offices, including Solicitor General (1607), Attorney General (1613), and eventually Lord Chancellor (1618). While serving as Chancellor, he was indicted on charges of bribery and forced to leave public office. He then retired to his estate where he devoted himself full time to his continuing literary, scientific, and philosophical work. He died in 1626, leaving behind a cultural legacy that, for better or worse, includes most of the foundation for the triumph of technology and for the modern world as we currently know it. Ben Jonson Ben Jonson was born around June 11, 1572, the posthumous son of a clergyman. He was educated at Westminster School by the great classical scholar William Camden and worked in his stepfather's trade, bricklaying. The trade did not please him in the least, and he joined the army, serving in Flanders. He returned to England about 1592 and married Anne Lewis on November 14, 1594. Jonson joined the theatrical company of Philip Henslowe in London as an actor and playwright on or before 1597, when he is identified in the papers of Henslowe. In 1597 he was imprisoned in the Fleet LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 23 24 Bengaluru City University Prison for his involvement in a satire entitled The Isle of Dogs, declared seditious by the authorities. Jonson's second known play, Every Man in His Humour, was performed in 1598 by the Lord Chamberlain's Men at the Globe with William Shakespeare in the cast. Jonson became a celebrity, and there was a brief fashion for 'humours' comedy, a kind of topical comedy involving eccentric characters, each of whom represented a temperament, or humor, of humanity. His next play, Every Man Out of His Humour (1599), was less successful. Jonson's explosive temperament and conviction of his superior talent gave rise to "War of the Theatres". In The Poetaster (1601), he satirized other writers, chiefly the English dramatists Thomas Dekker and John Marston. Dekker and Marston retaliated by attacking Jonson in their Satiromastix (1601). The plot of Satiromastix was mainly overshadowed by its abuse of Jonson. Jonson had portrayed himself as Horace in The Poetaster, and in Satiromastix Marston and Dekker, as Demetrius and Crispinus ridicule Horace, presenting Jonson as a vain fool. Eventually, the writers patched their feuding; in 1604 Jonson collaborated with Dekker on The King's Entertainment and with Marston and George Chapman on Eastward Hoe. Jonson's next play, the classical tragedy Sejanus, His Fall (1603), based on Roman history and offering an astute view of dictatorship, again got Jonson into trouble with the authorities. In 1605, Jonson began to write masques for the entertainment of the court. The masques displayed his erudition, wit, and versatility and contained some of his best lyric poetry. Masque of Blacknesse (1605) was the first in a series of collaborations with Inigo Jones, noted English architect and set designer. This collaboration produced masques such as The Masque of Owles, Masque of Beauty (1608), and Masque of Queens (1609), which were performed in Inigo Jones' elaborate and exotic settings. These masques ascertained Jonson's standing as foremost writer of masques in the Jacobean era. Jonson's enduring reputation rests on the comedies written between 1605 and 1614. The first of these, Volpone, or The Fox (performed in 1605-1606, first published in 1607) is often regarded as his masterpiece. Volpone (The Fox) is a Venetian gentleman who pretends to be on his deathbed after a long illness in order to dupe Voltore (The Vulture), Corbaccio (The Raven) and Corvino (The Crow), three men who aspire to inherit his fortune. In their turns, each man arrives to Volpone's house bearing a luxurious gift, intent upon having his name inscribed to the will of Volpone, as his heir. Mosca (The Fly), Volpone's parasite servant, encourages each of the visitors to believe that he has been named heir to LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 24 25 Bengaluru City University Volpone's fortune. Mosca even persuades Corbaccio to disinherit his own son in favor of Volpone. To Volpone, Mosca mentions that Corvino has a beautiful wife, Celia. Disguised as Scoto the Mountebank, Volpone goes to see Celia. Corvino drives away "Scoto" (Volpone), who then becomes insistent that he must possess Celia as his own. Mosca deceives Corvino into believing that the moribund Volpone will be cured of his illness if he lies in bed beside a young woman. Believing that Volpone has been rendered impotent by his illness, Corvino offers his wife in order that, when he is revived, Volpone will recognise Corvino as his sole heir. Just before Corvino and Celia are due to arrive at Volpone's house, Corbaccio's son Bonario arrives to catch his father in the act of disinheriting him. Mosca guides Bonario to a sideroom, and Volpone and Celia are left alone. Upon failing to seduce Celia with fantastic promises of luxury and wealth, Volpone attempts to rape her. Bonario comes forward to rescue Celia. In the ensuing trial at court, the truth of the matter is well-buried by Voltore, using his prowess as a lawyer to convince the Avocatori, with false evidence given by Mosca, Volpone and the other dupes. There are episodes involving the English travellers Sir and Lady Politic Would-Be and Peregrine. Sir Politic constantly talks of plots and his outlandish business plans, while Lady Would-Be annoys Volpone with her ceaseless talking. Mosca co-ordinates a mix-up between them which leaves Peregrine, a more sophisticated traveller, feeling offended. He humiliates Sir Politic by telling him he is to be arrested for sedition and making him hide inside a giant tortoise shell. Volpone insists on disguising himself and having it announced that he has died and willed his wealth to Mosca, which enrages the would-be heirs Voltore, Corbaccio and Corvino, and everyone returns to court to dispute the will of Volpone, who becomes entangled in the circumstances of the plots that he and Mosca devised. Despite Volpone's pleas, Mosca refuses to relinquish his new role as a rich man. Volpone reveals himself and his deceits in order to topple the rich Mosca. In the event, Voltore, Corbaccio, Corvino, Mosca and Volpone himself finally are punished. The following plays, Epicoene or, The Silent Woman (1609), The Alchemist (1610), and Bartholomew Fair (1614) are all peopled with dupes and those who deceive them. Jonson's keen sense of his own stature LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 25 26 Bengaluru City University as author is represented by the unprecedented publication of his Works, in folio, in 1616. He was appointed as poet laureate and rewarded a substantial pension in the same year. In 1618, when he was about forty-five years old, Jonson set out for Scotland, the home of his ancestors. He made the journey entirely by foot, in spite of dissuasion from Bacon. After his return, Jonson received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Oxford University and lectured on rhetoric at Gresham College, London. Jonson's later plays The New Inn (1629) and A Tale of a Tub (1633) were not great successes, described harshly, but perhaps justly by Dryden as his "dotages." Despite these apparent failures, and in spite of his frequent feuds, Jonson was the dean and the leading wit of the group of writers who gathered at the Mermaid Tavern in the Cheapside district of London. The young poets influenced by Jonson were the self-styled 'sons' or 'tribe' of Ben, later called the Cavalier poets, a group which included, among others, Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, and Richard Lovelace. Jonson was appointed City Chronologer of London in 1628, the same year in which he suffered a severe stroke. His loyal friends kept him company in his final years and attended the King provided him some financial comfort. Jonson died on August 6, 1637 and was buried in Westminster Abbey under a plain slab on which was later carved the words, "O Rare Ben Jonson!" John Milton LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 26 27 Bengaluru City University John Milton was born in London on December 9, 1608, into a middle-class family. He was educated at St. Paul’s School, then at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he began to write poetry in Latin, Italian, and English, and prepared to enter the clergy. After university, however, he abandoned his plans to join the priesthood and spent the next six years in his father’s country home in Buckinghamshire, following a rigorous course of independent study to prepare for a career as a poet. During his period of private study, Milton composed a number of poems, including “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,” “On Shakespeare,” “L’Allegro,” “Il Penseroso,” and the pastoral elegy “Lycidas.” In May of 1638, Milton began a thirteen-month tour of France and Italy, during which he met many important intellectuals and influential people, including the astronomer Galileo, who appears in Milton’s tract against censorship, “Areopagitica.”. In 1642, Milton returned from a trip into the countryside with a sixteen-year-old bride, Mary Powell. Even though they were estranged for most of their marriage, Powell bore him three daughters and a son before her death in 1652. Milton later married twice more: Katherine Woodcock in 1656, who died giving birth in 1658, and Elizabeth Minshull in 1662. During the English Civil War, Milton championed the cause of the Puritans and Oliver Cromwell, and wrote a series of pamphlets advocating radical political topics including the morality of divorce, the freedom of the press, populism, and sanctioned regicide. Milton served as secretary for foreign languages in Cromwell’s government, composing official statements defending the Commonwealth. During this time, Milton steadily lost his eyesight, and was completely blind by 1651. He continued his duties, however, with the aid of Andrew Marvell and other assistants. After the Restoration of Charles II to the throne in 1660, Milton was arrested as a defender of the Commonwealth, fined, and soon released. He lived the rest of his life in seclusion in the country, completing the blank-verse epic poem Paradise Lost in 1667, as well as its sequel Paradise Regained and the tragedy Samson Agonistes both in 1671. Milton oversaw the printing of a second edition of Paradise Lost in 1674, which included an explanation of “why the poem rhymes not,” clarifying his use of blank verse, along with introductory notes by Marvell. Milton died shortly afterwards, on November 8, 1674, in Buckinghamshire, England. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 27 28 Bengaluru City University Alexander Pope In the spring of 1688, Alexander Pope was born an only child to Alexander and Edith Pope. Described by his biographer, John Spence, as “a child of a particularly sweet temper,” and with a voice so melodious as to be nicknamed the “Little Nightingale,” the child Pope bears little resemblance to the irascible and outspoken moralist of the later poems. Barred from attending public school or university because of his religion, Pope was largely self-educated. He taught himself French, Italian, Latin, and Greek, and read widely, discovering Homer at the age of six. At twelve, Pope composed his earliest extant work, Ode to Solitude; the same year saw the onset of the debilitating bone deformity that would plague Pope until the end of his life. Originally attributed to the severity of his studies, the illness is now commonly accepted as Pott’s disease, a form of tuberculosis affecting the spine that stunted his growth—Pope’s height never exceeded four and a half feet—and rendered him hunchbacked, asthmatic, frail, and prone to violent headaches. His physical appearance would make him an easy target for his many literary enemies in later years, who would refer to the poet as a “hump-backed toad.” Pope’s Pastorals, which he claimed to have written at sixteen, were published in Jacob Tonson’s Poetical Miscellanies of 1710 and brought him swift recognition. Essay on Criticism, published anonymously the LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 28 29 Bengaluru City University year after, established the heroic couplet as Pope’s principal measure and attracted the attention of Jonathan Swift and John Gay, who would become Pope’s lifelong friends and collaborators. Together they formed the Scriblerus Club, a congregation of writers endeavoring to satirize ignorance and poor taste through the invented figure of Martinus Scriblerus, who would serve as a precursor to the dunces in Pope's late masterpiece, the Dunciad. In 1712, The Rape of the Lock, Pope's best-known work and the one that secured his fame, was published. Its mundane subject—the true account of a squabble between two prominent Catholic families over the theft of a lock of hair—is transformed by Pope into a mock-heroic send-up of classical epic poetry. "The Rape of the Lock" was first published anonymously in 1712 before it was reworked and republished in 1714 by Alexander Pope. It is a mock-epic or mock-heroic poem, which means it draws from and parodies traditional Roman or Greek epics such as The Iliad by Homer or The Aeneid by Vergil. The poem uses a heavy amount of satire, which is the use of ridicule, exaggeration, irony, humor, etc. to criticize, mock, or expose the vices and problems of people or society in general. Alexander Pope The Rape of the Lock, in particular, satirizes both the obsession with physical appearance and trivial matters by the people of 18th century England. The title of the poem tells exactly what happens in the poem: Belinda, one of the main characters, has one of her locks of hair stolen by the Baron. In the context of the story, the word "rape" draws its definition from the Latin root of the word, "rapio," which means "to snatch" or "to seize." In the 18th century, however, "rape" could still mean sexual assault, which Pope was aware of and used to exaggerate the event in order to ridicule the people involved. "The Rape of the Lock" summary is quite simple. Based on a true story told to Pope by a friend, the poem tells of how the Baron sneakily cuts off a lock of Belinda's hair at a party which causes her to become agitated enough to start a fight. The story ends undramatically with the lock of hair becoming lost to both Belinda and the Baron. While the story itself is straightforward, Pope created a long poem around 600 lines broken up into 5 cantos. Turning from satire to scholarship, Pope, in 1713, began work on his six-volume translation of Homer’s Iliad. He arranged for the work to be available by subscription, with a single volume being released each year for six years, a model that garnered Pope enough money to be able to live off his work alone, one of LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 29 30 Bengaluru City University the few English poets in history to have been able to do so. Pope published Essay on Man in 1734, and the following year a scandal broke out when an apparently unauthorized and heavily sanitized edition of Pope’s letters was released by the notoriously reprobate publisher Edmund Curll (collections of correspondence were rare during the period). Unbeknownst to the public, Pope had edited his letters and delivered them to Curll in secret. Pope’s output slowed after 1738 as his health, never good, began to fail. He revised and completed the Dunciad, this time substituting the famously inept Colley Cibber—at that time, the country’s poet laureate—for Theobald in the role of chief dunce. He began work on an epic in blank verse entitled Brutus, which he quickly abandoned; only a handful of lines survive. Alexander Pope died at Twickenham, surrounded by friends, on May 30, 1744. Dr. Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson – poet, biographer, lexicographer and essayist – has been described as ‘arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history’ (the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography). Born in 1709 above the bookshop his father owned, Johnson was educated at Lichfield Grammar School and Pembroke College, Oxford (which he had to leave after just a year, without a degree, due to being unable to pay his fees).In the early 1730s Johnson worked briefly as a schoolteacher, and also began to produce LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 30 31 Bengaluru City University literary translations. In 1735 he married Elizabeth ‘Tetty’ Porter, the widow, some 21 years older than Johnson, of his friend Harry. After trying and failing to establish his own school, Johnson found increasing employment as a journalist for The Gentleman’s Magazine, and worked on his own poetry and drama, including the long satirical poem London (published anonymously in 1738). In 1746 Johnson was approached by a group of publishers, including the celebrated William Strahan, about compiling a dictionary of the English language. This enormous, hugely ambitious work would take Johnson almost a decade to complete, and would be one of his most important legacies. Other works by Johnson in the 1740s and 1750s include the long poem The Vanity of Human Wishes (1749), the play Irene (performed in 1749, to little success) and the essay series titled The Rambler, in which he discusses the critical literary issues of his day. In 1752 Johnson’s wife died, and this seems to have ushered in a period of depression, though he carried on working on various literary projects, including starting work on a new edition of The Plays of William Shakespeare (finally published in 1765), publishing the novella Rasselas (1759) and producing a new series of literary essays, The Idler. In 1763 Johnson met and befriended the young James Boswell, who would famously go on to write an intimate, detailed biography of his friend, 1791’s Life of Samuel Johnson. The two travelled to Boswell’s native Scotland together, a trip which Johnson wrote up as A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland (1775), and Boswell as A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (1785). Johnson spent the latter half of the 1770s at work on another commission, the Lives of the English Poets. Originally destined as a series of biographical introductions to a 60-volume Works of the English Poets, the texts were eventually published on their own, becoming extremely popular and influential works of biography in their own right. Johnson died in 1784 at the age of 75, leaving behind a substantial body of pioneering works of literary criticism, lexicography and biography. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 31 32 Bengaluru City University John Bunyan John Bunyan was born in Elstow, near Bedford, in 1628, the son of Thomas Bunyan and Margaret Bentley. He followed his father into the tinker’s trade. As a teenager, he joined Cromwell’s New Model Army, but continued his rebellious ways. His life was saved on one occasion when a fellow-soldier took his place at the siege of Leicester, and ‘as he stood sentinel he was shot in the head with a musket bullet and died’. Discharged from the army after three years, Bunyan married a God-fearing woman (whose name is unknown) in 1648, who brought two books to the marriage: The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven (Arthur Dent) and The Practice of Piety (Lewis Bayly). These convicted Bunyan of his sin and he made attempts to reform his life. But he realised that he was lost and without Christ when he came into contact with a group of women whose ‘joyous conversation about the new birth and Christ deeply impressed him’. In 1651 the women introduced him to their pastor in Bedford, John Gifford, who was instrumental in leading Bunyan to repentance and faith. That same year he moved to Bedford with his wife and four children, including Mary, his firstborn, who had been blind from birth. He was baptised by immersion in the River Ouse in 1653. Appointed a deacon of Gifford’s church, Bunyan’s testimony was used to lead several people to conversion. By 1655 Bunyan was himself preaching to various congregations in Bedford, and hundreds came to hear him. John Owen said of him that he would gladly exchange all his learning for Bunyan’s power of touching men’s hearts. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 32 33 Bengaluru City University In the following years, Bunyan began publishing books and became established as a reputable Puritan writer, but around this time, his first wife died. He remarried in 1659, a godly young woman named Elizabeth, who was to be a staunch advocate for her husband during his imprisonments – for in 1660 Bunyan was arrested for preaching without official permission from King Charles II; he was to spend the next 12½ years in Bedford County Gaol. Although a time of much suffering, Bunyan’s years in prison were productive, for he wrote extensively, with only the Bible and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs beside him, publishing such titles as Christian Behaviour, The Holy City and A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification. Of particular significance for his life-story was Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, which chronicled his life up to the time of his imprisonment. He was eventually released in 1672, and took up his pastorate in Bedford, having been appointed by the congregation the preceding January. After some fruitful years of ministry, in March of 1675 Bunyan was again imprisoned for preaching publicly without a license. It was during this imprisonment that he began the first part of his most famous book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, which was to sell more than 100,000 copies in its first ten years in print. Released in 1677, Bunyan spent the last ten years of his life ministering to his congregation and writing, including – Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (1678), The Life and Death of Mr Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682), and the second part of The Pilgrim’s Progress (1685). He published ten more books in the last three years of his life, amongst them The Jerusalem Sinner Saved and The Acceptable Sacrifice. In August 1688, after successfully mediating in a disagreement between a father and son, as he was riding from Reading in Berkshire to London, Bunyan caught a cold and developed a fever. He died at the house of his friend John Strudwick, a grocer and chandler on Snow Hill in Holborn. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 33 34 Bengaluru City University Aphra Behn Aphra Behn, the 17th-century poet, playwright and fiction writer, was hailed by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One’s Own (1929) for having ‘earned [women] the right to speak their minds’. Very little is known of Behn’s early life. She was born in 1640 during the lead-up to the English Civil Wars, possibly in Canterbury to a barber father and nurse mother, though in adulthood she moved in aristocratic, courtly circles. Following the narrator’s account of her own life in Oroonoko (1688), some biographers think Behn travelled with her family to the English (later Dutch) colony of Surinam (in the Guianas of South America). There, she may have met an African slave leader who inspired her to write Oroonoko, which is regarded as one of the earliest English novels. Most biographers think Behn had returned to England by 1664, when she married a merchant named Johan Behn, though they separated soon after and by 1666 Johan had died. In any case, from 1664 she went by the name of ‘Mrs Behn’ professionally. Behn’s politics were conservative and her sympathies were Royalist. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, which broke out in 1665, she is said to have acted as a spy in Bruges (her code name was Astrea) on behalf of the court of Charles II. Espionage was not a LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 34 35 Bengaluru City University lucrative career, though, and Behn seems to have returned to London within the year. Some accounts have her serving time in debtors’ prison, although that (like much else about her life) is not officially documented. Back in England, Behn turned her attention to writing. We know that she began working for the King’s Company and the Duke’s Company, two theatre companies authorised by Charles II after the Restoration, first as a scribe and then as a playwright. Her first few works in the early 1670s (The Force’d Marriage, The Amorous Prince, The Dutch Lover) were not commercial successes. 1677’s The Rover, however, was a critical and commercial victory, and from then on Behn had a steady career as a playwright (writing 19 plays in total and probably assisting in the composition of several more).She also wrote novels, poems and literary translations up until her death in 1689 at the age of 49. She is buried in Westminster Abbey, though not in Poets’ Corner. Much of Behn’s work was published anonymously during her own lifetime. Now, Behn is best known for her novels The Fair Jilt and Oroonoko – the latter of which, though not expressly anti-slavery, was unusual in its time for the respectful attention it pays to a non-white, non-English protagonist – and for her poetry. Elizabeth Cary Born in 1584 or 1585, Elizabeth Cary became the first woman dramatist to be published in England, when LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 35 36 Bengaluru City University her play The Tragedy of Mariam appeared in 1613. During the years of her childhood, she read voraciously, bribing servants to supply her with candles for night-time study. Having learned to read, write, and speak several languages, Elizabeth translated other writers work as well as composing original texts. Although she was married to Henry Cary when she was seventeen or eighteen, because they did not establish a shared home for another six years, Elizabeth was able to enjoy a relatively independent time of young womanhood that might have otherwise been focused on house holding and familial occupations. It is likely that this is when she wrote The Tragedy of Mariam, and possibly other plays. Between the ages of 23 and 39, Elizabeth gave birth to, nursed, cared for, and either directly taught or arranged for the education of eleven children (one of whom died in infancy). She was also active in what we would call social work, especially in Ireland where she used her own money to organize a program to train poor children to learn the skills of various trades. She seems to have been prone to periods of depression, the worst episodes occurring during her second and fourth pregnancies when she was in "so deep a melancholy that she lost the perfect use of her reason, and was in much danger of her life" (The Lady Falkland, 195). In the years that followed she lived in varying degrees of poverty and though she saw her children frequently, they rarely lived in her house. Nonetheless, she was able to work on a history of Edward II, and publish the translation of a religious treatise as well as attend more increasingly to her inner, devotional life. During the two years before her death, her four youngest daughters were received as nuns into a Benedictine convent in Cambray, France -- with Elizabeth's blessings, encouragement, and assistance. She died in 1639. I. Write a brief note on the following poets 1. John Milton 2. Aphra Ben 3. Ben Johnson 4. Samuel Johnson LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 36 37 Bengaluru City University UNIT III Representative Texts Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? William Shakespeare (1564-1616) William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon- Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April, which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616. Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre (sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period). Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare’s poems also remain popular to this day. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 37 38 Bengaluru City University Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry. Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language. A Shakespearean sonnet consists of fourteen lines, each containing ten syllables and written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter means that the poem has a fixed rhythm in which an unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed syllable. This is repeated five times in each line, giving a total of ten syllables per line. About the sonnet: "Sonnet 18" is perhaps the best known of all of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, primarily due to the opening line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day," which every true romantic knows by heart. "Sonnet 18" focuses on the loveliness of a friend or lover, with the speaker initially asking a rhetorical question about comparing their subject to a summer's day. He then goes on to introduce the pros and cons of the weather, mentioning both an idyllic English summer's day and the less-welcome dim sun and rough winds of autumn. In the end, it is insinuated this very piece of poetry will keep the lover—the poem's subject— alive forever and allow them to defy even death. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 38 39 Bengaluru City University Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Glossary Temperate: evenly-tempered; not overcome by passion. Lease: here it means the borrowed time of summer. The eye of heaven: the sun. Every fair from fair sometime declines: the beauty (fair) of everything beautiful (fair) will fade (declines). Compare to Sonnet 116: "rosy lips and cheeks/Within his bending sickle's compass come." Nature’s changing course: the natural changes age brings. That fair thou ow'st : that beauty you possess. In eternal lines...growest : The poet is using a grafting metaphor in this line. Grafting is a technique used to join parts from two plants with cords so that they grow as one. Thus the beloved becomes immortal, grafted to time with the poet's cords (his "eternal lines"). Questions for discussion I. Answer the following questions in about 300 words 1. Discuss the central idea of the sonnet “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day”. 2. How does William Shakespeare compare the beauty of his friend to that of a summer’s day? LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 39 40 Bengaluru City University 3. How does Shakespeare immortalize his friend’s beauty? II Write short notes on the following 1. Title of the Sonnet. 2. Virtues of the poet’s friend. 3. Images of summer in ‘Shall I compare Thee to a summer’s day? LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 40 41 Bengaluru City University On His Blindness John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) John Milton, the poet, pamphleteer, and historian was born in Bread Street, London on December 9 1608. He was given the nickname Lady of Christ for his effeminate and youthful looks. He expressed his frustrations and scorn and was the champion of individual freedom. As a well-educated, middle-class writer, who had command over many languages and who dedicated the lion’s share of the night to his studies, he produced many works of merit. A pastoral elegy, Lycidas, a masque, Comus, twin Horton poems L’Allegro and Ill’ Penseroso,a prose treatise, Areopagitica are a few among his literary oeuvre. Milton is best known for Paradise Lost, the greatest epic poem in English. Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes are the other works which confirms his reputation as one of the greatest English poets. The exact date and place of his death remain obscure. He likely died in London in 1674 from complications of the gout. About the poem: LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 41 42 Bengaluru City University “On His Blindness / When I consider how my light is spent” is a sonnet written by John Milton, an acclaimed seventeenth century English poet. As a sonneteer, Milton widened the range of the sonnet and revived the classical or the Petrarchan sonnet from, falling into parts: the first, an octave (eight lines) rhyming abba abba, reveals the poet’s fears and complaints; and the second, a sestet (six lines) rhyming cde cde, teaches us total submission to God’s design. This Sonnet was written in 1655; three years after Milton become completely blind, and was marked by a brooding sense of despondency arising out of his blindness. It was written when Milton was in his forty- fourth year. The poem can be divided into two parts. In the first half of the poem, he expresses his sadness at the loss of his eye-sight. The sonnet is one of the best and well known poems written by Milton. It deals with a sublime theme described in a grand style by the use of simple language. The sonnet is written in Petrarchan style comprising an octave and a sestet with the rhyme scheme abba/abba/cde/cde. Though there is a turn of event after the octave, the octave and sestet is not divided. The sonnet differs from Petrarchan sonnet in the sense that Petrarchan sonnet deals with the theme of love, whereas, this sonnet deals with spiritual issue. On His Blindness When I consider how my light is spent Ere half my days in this dark world and wide, And that one talent which is death to hide Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent To serve therewith my Maker, and present My true account, lest he returning chide, "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?" I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need Either man's work or his own gifts: who best Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed And post o'er land and ocean without rest: LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 42 43 Bengaluru City University They also serve who only stand and wait." Glossary Ere: before Doth: to do Chide: to scold Yoke: a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull. Exact: demand Light Denied: blind Murmur: breathy voice O’er: over Talent: a) a natural or acquired ability and b) a unit of money Lodged: to make or become firmly fixed or embedded in a particular place. Spent: used up; gone out (blindness) Post: to travel quickly Fondly: Archaic, naively, foolishly Prevent: both to forestall and to predispose Questions for discussion I. Answer the following questions in about 300 words 10 Marks 1. Comment on the two different mood of the poets as revealed by the sonnet. 2. How does the poet justify the ways of God to man in the sonnet “On His Blindness”? 3. Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem On His Blindness. II Write short notes on the following 5 Marks 1. Philosophy of life in the poem On His Blindness. 2. Optimism of the last two lines. 3. Metaphor and personification in the poem. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 43 44 Bengaluru City University Lover’s Infiniteness John Donne (1573-1631) John Donne, whose poetic reputation languished before he was rediscovered in the early part of the twentieth century, is remembered today as the leading exponent of a style of verse known as “metaphysical poetry,” which flourished in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. (Other great metaphysical poets include Andrew Marvell, Robert Herrick, and George Herbert.) Metaphysical poetry typically employs unusual verse forms, complex figures of speech applied to elaborate and surprising metaphorical conceits, and learned themes discussed according to eccentric and unexpected chains of reasoning. Donne’s poetry exhibits each of these characteristics. His jarring, unusual meters; his proclivity for abstract puns and double entendres; his often bizarre metaphors (in one poem he compares love to a carnivorous fish; in another he pleads with God to make him pure by raping him); and his process of oblique reasoning are all characteristic traits of the metaphysicals, unified in Donne as in no other poet. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 44 45 Bengaluru City University Donne is valuable not simply as a representative writer but also as a highly unique one. He was a man of contradictions: As a minister in the Anglican Church, Donne possessed a deep spirituality that informed his writing throughout his life; but as a man, Donne possessed a carnal lust for life, sensation, and experience. He is both a great religious poet and a great erotic poet, and perhaps no other writer (with the possible exception of Herbert) strove as hard to unify and express such incongruous, mutually discordant passions. In his best poems, Donne mixes the discourses of the physical and the spiritual; over the course of his career, Donne gave sublime expression to both realms. About the poem: Lover’s Infiniteness is one of the well-known poems of John Donne. Grierson comments that the title is a strange one, in fact it should be Love’s Infiniteness. However, the title seems fit to the actual mood of the poem. The poet is capable of giving more and more love each day and the beloved must reciprocate. However, this would only be possible if the lovers were themselves infinite. At the beginning, the poet describes all that he has done to gain his lady’s love. He says that he has done everything possible. He says that, in spite of all his efforts if her love towards him still remains partial, then he can never have it fully. This is because he has spent all his treasures of sighs, tears, oaths and letters with which he can win the lady. He says that it is possible that she might have once given him all her love but since then new love might have been created in her heart. Other men who had a great stock of tears, oaths and sighs might have out bidden him or might do so in future. If it is so, it is a cause of fresh anxiety for him. The poet asserts that the heart of the beloved was his and hence whatever grows there was his and this would be so in future also. Lover’s Infiniteness If yet I have not all thy love, Dear, I shall never have it all; I cannot breathe one other sigh, to move, Nor can intreat one other tear to fall; And all my treasure, which should purchase thee— Sighs, tears, and oaths, and letters—I have spent. Yet no more can be due to me, LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 45 46 Bengaluru City University Than at the bargain made was meant; If then thy gift of love were partial, That some to me, some should to others fall, Dear, I shall never have thee all. Or if then thou gavest me all, All was but all, which thou hadst then; But if in thy heart, since, there be or shall New love created be, by other men, Which have their stocks entire, and can in tears, In sighs, in oaths, and letters, outbid me, This new love may beget new fears, For this love was not vow'd by thee. And yet it was, thy gift being general; The ground, thy heart, is mine; whatever shall Grow there, dear, I should have it all. Yet I would not have all yet, He that hath all can have no more; And since my love doth every day admit New growth, thou shouldst have new rewards in store; Thou canst not every day give me thy heart, If thou canst give it, then thou never gavest it; Love's riddles are, that though thy heart depart, It stays at home, and thou with losing savest it; But we will have a way more liberal, Than changing hearts, to join them; so we shall Be one, and one another's all. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 46 47 Bengaluru City University Glossary treasure: wealth, valuable thing bargain: an agreement between parties settling what each shall give and take. partial: biased or prejudiced in favor of a person. beget: to cause; produce as an effect. liberal: favourable to progress or reform. Questions for discussion I. Answer the following questions in about 300 words 10 Marks 1. What are the various symbols and images used in Lover infiniteness? 2. How apt is the title of the poem Lover infiniteness? 3. How does Donne treat physical and spiritual love in his works? II Write short notes on the following 5 Marks 1. “Lovers’ Infiniteness,” 2. Pastoral imagery in Lovers’ Infiniteness. 3. Donne as a Metaphysical poet. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 47 48 Bengaluru City University A Poison Tree William Blake (1757-1827) William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter and print maker. Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of English poetry. He was born in London. He was a boldly imaginative rebel in both his thought and his art. "A Poison Tree" was published as part of the Experience section of William Blake's best-known work, Songs of Innocence and Experience (first published in 1794, though Innocence was published individually a few years earlier). This book of poems is quite an educational work of poetic moralizing. William Blake is today recognized as a highly original and important poet in English literature, as well as a revolutionary and visionary artist. This, however, was not the case at the time of his death in 1827, for Blake was also an individualist to the point of being isolated from society, and refused to compromise when it came to matters of personal and spiritual freedom for everyone. Indeed, the few obituaries that were written at the time focused more on the man's eccentric behavior than on his artistic and literary achievements and it took many years before Blake’s contribution to art, literature and psychology was properly acknowledged as truly original and ground-breaking. Blake published Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul in 1794, and this collection of forty-six poems has a unique position in English literature. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 48 49 Bengaluru City University Some of them—The Tyger, for example—are among the best-known poems in the English language. About the poem: Poison Tree is a short and deceptively simple poem about repressing anger and the consequences of doing so. The speaker tells of how they fail to communicate their wrath to their foe and how this continues to grow until it develops into poisonous hatred. The speaker describes how when they were angry with a friend, they talked to their friend about the issue which helped them to overcome their anger. However, the speaker was unable to do the same with an enemy and this leads to developing resentment and an even stronger degree of hatred. An extended metaphor of a tree growing in the speaker's garden demonstrates how the anger continues to grow. In the lines 'And I water'd it in fears' and 'And I sunned it with smiles' the speaker actively cultivates the tree/anger. Eventually the anger blossoms into a poisoned fruit, the enemy eats the fruit and dies and the speaker seems to be glad of this. However, there is also a sense that they see the destructiveness of what has occurred. As the first lines acknowledge, we can easily overcome our anger if we communicate it properly. A Poison Tree I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end; I was angry with my foe, I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I water’d it in fears, Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld its shine, And he knew that it was mine, LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 49 50 Bengaluru City University And into my garden stole, When the night had veil’d the pole: In the morning glad I see My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree. Glossary Wrath: extreme anger Foe: enemy Watered: pour water Sunned: provide Deceitful: dishonest Wiles: clever tricks a Bore: produces fruit Beheld: looked at Veiled: covered with Pole: the Pole star (also known as Polaris) Questions for discussion I. Answer the following questions in about 300 words 10 Marks 1. How does the speaker of the poem behave toward others when he is angry at them? Support your inference with textual evidence. 2. The poem "A Poison Tree" is a fable directed against self-restraint. Explain. 3. How is conceit (extended metaphor) used throughout this poem? Give examples of the comparison. II Write short notes on the following 5 Marks 1. Speaker’s suppressed anger. 2. Title of the poem A Poison Tree. 3. Extended metaphor. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 50 51 Bengaluru City University Roger at Church Joseph Addison:-(1672-1719) Addison was born on May 1, 1672 in Milston, Wiltshire, but soon after Joseph's birth his father was appointed Dean of Lichfield, so the Addison family moved into the Cathedral Close. He was educated at Lambertown University and Charterhouse School, where he first met Richard Steele, and at Queen's College, Oxford. He excelled in classics, was especially noted for his Latin verse, and became a Fellow of Magdalen College. In 1693, he addressed a poem to John Dryden, the former Poet Laureate, and his first major work, a book about the lives of English poets, was published in 1694, as was his translation of Virgil's Georgics, in the same year for a short time his circumstances were somewhat strained, but the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, gave him a fresh opportunity to distinguish himself and later "The Campaign," which gave such satisfaction that he was appointed as a commissioner in the government of Halifax. Joseph Addison was a distinguished 18th century English poet, author, playwright, politician and classical scholar. He is recognized as one of the finest periodical essayists, who along with his friend, Richard Steele founded the daily journal, ‘The Spectator’. ‘The Spectator’ became a popular and well-read publication of that time. He contributed over 274 essays for ‘The Spectator’ and also wrote essays for the LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 51 52 Bengaluru City University publication, ‘The Tatler’. He wrote the legendary play, ‘Cato, a Tragedy’, which is believed to be the literary inspiration behind the American Revolution. He has also authored, ‘Account of the Greatest English Poets’, ‘The Campaign’, ‘Dialogue on Medals’. About the Essay: The essay, Sir Roger at Church, was first published in “The Spectator” on 9th July, 1711 AD wherein the author told us about the importance of Sunday for the villagers and Sir Roger acted on the Sundays as a churchman. In the Coverley Essays, Sir Roger has been characterized vividly by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Sir Roger is presented in these essays as kind, generous, lovable, and sometimes as a peculiar person. But in the hand of Joseph Addison, Sir Roger9s character is conveyed ironically. For that reason, he sometimes seems odd. Although he is gentle and mild and lovable to people, he has some eccentricities and oddities. Joseph Addison’s essay Sir Roger at Church about a unique individual named Sir Roger. Addison begins the essay by saying that the observance of Sunday as a holy day keeps mankind civilized and polished. On Sunday’s people are at their very best. They appear clean and talk to other people on boring topics. Just like a merchant discusses exchange rates, the Parish people discuss the affairs of the parish. Sir Roger at Church (Essays From Addison edited by J H Fowler) I AM always very well pleased with a country Sunday; and think, if keeping holy the seventh day were only a human institution, it would be the best method that could have been thought of for the polishing and civilizing of mankind. It is certain the country-people would soon degenerate into a kind of savages and barbarians, were there not such frequent returns of a stated time, in which the whole village meet together with their best faces, and in their cleanliest habits, to converse with one another upon indifferent subjects, hear their duties explained to them, and join together in adoration of the Supreme Being. Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week, not only as it refreshes in their minds the notions of religion, but as it puts both the sexes upon appearing in their most agreeable forms, and exerting all such qualities as are apt to give them a figure in the eye of the village. A country-fellow distinguishes himself as much in the churchyard as a citizen does upon the Change, the whole parish politics being generally discussed in that place either after sermon or before the bell rings. LITERARY MUSINGS – DSC – ENGLISH III SEMESTER B.A 52 53 Bengaluru City University My friend Sir Roger, being a good church-man, has beautified the inside of his church with several texts of his own choosing: he has likewise given a handsome pulpit-cloth, and railed in the communion- table at his own expense. He has often told me, that at his coming to his estate he found his parishioners very irregular; and that in order to make them kneel and join in the responses, he gave every one of them a hassock and a Common Prayer Book; and at the same time employed an itinerant singing-master, who goes about the country for that purpose, to instruct them rightly in the tunes of the psalms; upon which they now very much value themselves, and indeed out-do most of the country churches that I have ever heard. As Sir Roger is landlord to the whole congregation, he keeps them in very good order, and will suffer nobody to sleep in it besides himself; for if by chance he has been surprised into a short nap at sermon, upon recovering out of it he stands up and looks about him, and if he sees anybody else nodding, either wakes them himself, or sends his servant to them. Several other of the old knight's particularities break out upon these occasions: sometimes he will be lengthening out a verse in the singing-psalms, half a minute after the rest of the congregation have done with it; sometimes, when he is pleased with the matter of his devotion, he pronounces Amen three or four times to the same prayer; and sometimes stands up when everybody else is upon their knees, to count the congregation, or see if any of his tenants are missing. I was yesterday very much surprised to hear my old friend, in the midst of the service, calling out to one John Matthews to mind what he was about, and not disturb the congregation. This John Matthews, it seems, is remarkable for being an idle fellow, and at that time was kicking his heels for his diversion. This authority of the knight, though exerted in that odd manner which accompanies him in all circumstances of life, has a very good effect upon the parish, who are not polite enough to see anything ridiculous in his behavior; besides that the general good sense and worthiness of his character, make his friends observe these little singularities as foils that rather set off than blemish his good qualities. As soon as the sermon is finished, nobody presumes to stir till Sir Roger is gone out of the church. The knight walks down from his seat in the chancel between a double row of his tenants, that stand bowing to him on each side; and every now and then he inquires how such an one's wife, or mother, or son, or father do, whom he does not see at church; which is understood as a secret reprimand to the person that is absent. The chaplain has often told me, that upon a catechizing-day, when Sir Roger has been pleased with a boy that answers well, he has ordered a Bible to be given him next day for his encouragement; and LITERARY MUSINGS ?