Lecture 4
The 17th Century
Ⅰ Teaching Content
The historical background and the literature of the 17th 地瓜叶century
Ⅱ Time Allotment
水彩素材2 periods
Ⅲ Teaching Objectives and Requirements
1 Help the students know some information about the historical background and the literary characteristics of the 17th century.
2 Make the students know something about John Donne and Metaphysical poetry.
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3 Help the students have a good understanding of John Milton and the excerpt of Paradi Lost.
4 Make the Ss know about John Bunyan.
Ⅳ Key Points and Difficult Points in Teaching
1 John Milton
2 Paradi Lost
Ⅴ Teaching Methods and Means
Lecture; Discussion; Multi-media
Ⅵ Teaching Process
1 A brief introduction of the 17th century
1.1 Historical background
● The 17th century was one of the most tempestuous periods in the history. This century witnesd at least two revolutions: puritan revolution (1640-1660) and glorious revolution (1688). Puritan revolution began with the calling of the Long Parliament by King Charles I and proceeded through two civil wars (1642-1648), the trial and execution of the king (1649), the republican experiments of Oliver Cromwell (1649-1653), and, ultimately, the restoration of King Charles II (1660). Becau of the two revolutions, the political system in England underwent somewhat great changes.
● Becau of the two revolutions, the political system in England underwent somewhat great changes. First, after the Puritan revolution there established a kind of military dictatorship under which the people suffered greatly. Second, after the glorious revolution, there brought to England a constitutional monarchy, within which the king’s power was greatly restricted and the revolution meant three things: the supremacy of Parliament, the beginning of modern England, and the final triumph of the principle of political liberty for which the Puritan had fought and suffered hardship for a hundred years.
● The general features of the age are the transition and the spirit of doubt and scientific analysis. Transition here means the transition from the absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy, the transition from agricultural to manufacturing, the transition of the state itlf from organic garden to the joint stock company, the transition to modern society, and the transition of cularization.
1.2 Literary characteristics
(See Chang Yaoxin, 73-74)
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● The Puritans disapproved of the sonnets and the love poetry written in the previous period.
● In 1642 the theatres were clod.
● The Bible became now the one book of the people. The Puritan influence in general tended to suppress literary art.
● The most important poet was John Milton and there were two literary schools of poets, the school of Metaphysical and the school of Cavaliers (骑士派诗人) .
● The prevalent mood that enveloped literary works was one of gloom, pessimism, decadence, and frivolity.
2 Metaphysical Poets and Metaphysical Poetry
2.1 Metaphysical Poets
The group of poets, sharing some of John Donne’s poetic features, has been called “Metaphysical Poets.” Metaphysical poets tried to break away from the conventional fashion of the Elizabethan love poetry.
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● John Donne (1573–1631)
◆ As a poet, Donne was original and great.
◆ His poetry possd a highly idiosyncratic quality revealing a peculiar, brilliant imagi
nation at work, with a unconventional mode of perception and thinking, and the power of a mind.
◆ His type of poetry has been known as Metaphysical Poetry.
● Other Metaphysical Poets
Gorge Herbert (1593–1633), Andrew Marvell (1621–1678), Richard Crashaw (1612–1649), Henry Vaughan (1622–1695), Abraham Cowley (1618–1667), John Cleveland (1613–1658) 我们是一体
2.2 Metaphysical poetry
● The term “metaphysical poetry” is commonly ud to name the work of the 17th –century writers who wrote under the influence of John Donne.
● Metaphysical poetry is characterized by verbal wit and excess, ingenious structure, irregular meter, colloquial language, elaborate imagery, and metaphysical conceits and a drawing together of dissimilar ideas.
● In general, metaphysical poetry has the following features: 1) The diction is simple and echoes the words and cadences of common speech; 2) The imagery is drawn from the actual life; 3) The form is frequently that of an argument with the poet’s beloved, with God, or with himlf.
● Metaphysical poetry has gained new recognition becau of their riousness of art, their spirit of revolt, and their realism, and it has greatly influenced the modernist poetry of the 20th century.
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3 John Milton and his Paradi Lost
3.1 John Milton (1608-1674)
●上海风光 Is considered as the third greatest English poet after Chaucer and Shakespeare, and the greatest to come out of the 17th century. He is the master of blank ver, the first to u blank ver in non-dramatic works.
● Born into a pious wealthy Puritan family, having a supportive father and a cultured mother and enjoying the sweetest and the most sheltered period of adolescence of all
