The Period of English Bourgeois Revolution
The 17th Century (1625-1700)
Charles Ⅰ(1625-1649)
Oliver Cromwell (1649-1658) Richard Cromwell (1658-1659) Charles Ⅱ (1660-1685) James Ⅱ (1685-1688)
Mary and William (1688-1702)
Historical background
1.The period of English Revolution and the Restoration(复辟).
2.The English Revolution(1642-1649) Oliver Cromwell Monarchy was abolished republic
3.Glorious Revolution(光荣革命) state structure
4.Puritanism(清教主义).
Puritanism is the religious doctrine of the revolutionary
bourgeoisie during the English Revolution. It preaches thrift（节俭）, sobriety(严肃), hard work and unceasing labor in whatever calling one happen to, but with no extravagant（奢侈的） enjoyment of the fruits of labor. Worldly pleasures are
condemned as harmful. The adherences are called Puritans or Protestants（清教徒）.
The Overview of the Literature (1640-1688)
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Literature in 17 Century mainly includes baroque literature, puritan literature and classicist literature, roughly according to the sequence of time.
Classicism
It is the main literary school in Europe esp. in France in 17th century and a little later in England.
Features of classicism
• Praising the leadership of the king and combine closely literature with reality and politics.
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Demanding the restraint of personal wishes and expressing the subjects that emotion is submissive to responsibility and individual to the country.
Exposing the evils and malpractices (玩忽职守, 渎职)of the then society and criticizing the hypocrisy of some evil priests. Tragedy and comedy are the main literary styles.
Literature: 4 Johns: Milton, Bunyan---two representatives of
the puritan writers; Donne, the greatest metaphysical poet; Dryden, noted for his literary criticism and forerunner of the English classicism.
1. The revolution period
(1) John Milton and John Bunyan
(2) The metaphysical poets（玄学派）and the Cavalier poets.（骑士派）
2. The restoration period.
(1) emphasize rationalism（理性主义）.
(2) clear and simple prose as an instrument of rational communication.
(3) The restoration drama. John Dryden
Metaphysical Poets and Cavalier Poets 1. Metaphysical Poets（玄学派诗人）
17th century writers, under the influence of John Donne （多恩）, sought to shatter （打碎）myths and replace them with new philosophies, new sciences, new words and new poetry. more colloquial language and tone, a tightness of expression and the single-minded working out of a theme or argument. mysticism(神秘性)in content and fantasticality （奇异性）in form.
John Donne
(peculiar conceits巧妙的构思，sensualist感觉主义者 ，often seeks out complex rhythms and strange images)
“It sucked me first, and now sucks you, Sometimes he goes to preposterous(荒谬的) dimensions. For example，he asks his mistress not to kill a flea（跳瘙） because:
And in this flea, our two bloods mingled be; This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is；”
George Herbert, the saint of the Metaphysical school.
2. Cavalier Poets(骑士派) stood on the side of the king
light poetry, polished and elegant, amorous（爱情的） and gay,
but often superficial.
short songs, pretty madrigals（情歌）, love fancies ,limpidity
（清澈）,less fresh than the Elizabethan’s.
John Dryden. 1. Life:
(1) the representative of classicism in the Restoration. (2) most famous for his dramas. (3) changeable in attitude.
(4) Literary career—four decades. (5) Poet Laureate 2. His influences.
(1) He advocated the heroic couplet（英雄双韵体） as the fashion for satiric（讽刺的）, didactic, and descriptive poetry. (2) He developed a direct and concise prose style.
(3) He developed the art of literary criticism in his essays and in the numerous prefaces to his poems.
John Milton(1608-1674)
It is said that there were two revolutionary leaders in English Revolution: Cromwell “the man of action” and Milton “the man of thought”.
Life: educated at Cambridge—visiting the continent—involved into the revolution—persecuted（迫害）—writing epics.
His marriage and blindness deserve mention. All his epics were written (actually dictated by him and written by his pupils, nephews or daughters) after he became blind.
Literary career.
(1) The 1st period was up to 1641, during which time he is to be seen chiefly as a son of the humanists and Elizabethans. L‘Allegre IL 《快乐的人》 Pens eroso 《幽思的人》
Lycidas《利西达斯》, a pastoral elegy on the death of a
college mate.
(2) The second period is from 1641 to 1654, when the Puritan was in such complete ascendancy（统治） that he wrote almost no poetry. In 1641, he began a long period of pamphleteering（撰写小册子） for the puritan cause. For some 15 years, he became the spokesman of the Revolution. He sacrificed his poetic ambition to the call of the liberty for which Puritans were fighting.
Defence of the English People《为英国人民声辩》
Second Defence of the English People《为英国人民再辩》 Areopagitica 《论出版自由》
(3) The third period is from 1655 to 1671, which is the greatest in his literary life, epics and some famous sonnets.
The three long poems are the fruit of the long contest within Milton of Renaissance tradition and his Puritan faith，and they form the greatest accomplishments of any English poet except Shakespeare.
In these works we find humanism and Puritanism merged in magnificence.
Paradise Lost《失乐园》
Paradise Regained 《复乐园》 Samson Agonistes《力士参孙》
Paradise Lost
It is a long epic（史诗） in 12 books，written in blank verse. Plot： Although defeated by God， Satan is not discouraged, he chooses the Garden of Eden for the battlefield ，where live the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, who are allowed by God to enjoy the supreme beauties of Paradise, if they do not eat the fruit that grows on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan desires to tear them away from the influence of God and make them tools in his struggle against God’s authority.
Satan assumes the shape of a serpent and appears before Eve, He persuades her to break God’s command. Eve eats an apple from the forbidden tree and plucks（摘） another for Adam. God sees all this, and Adam and Eve are both deprived of
immortality, exiled（逐出） from Paradise and doomed to an earthly life full of hardship and sufferings.
characterization
God: a selfish, cruel, and unjust depot.
Adam and Eve: embody Milton’s belief in the powers of man. Their craving for knowledge is highly praised.
Satan: real hero, brave, strong-minded, represent the spirit questioning the authority of God.
4. Features of Milton’s works. (p111)
(1) English writers ,in politics, Puritanism and his republicanism. (2) blank verse.
(3) stylist, dignity and polish
(4) sublimity(崇高,庄严) of thought and majesty of expression.
John Bunyan（1628—1688 ）
1. life:
(1) puritan age;
(2) poor family; tinker（补锅匠） (3) parliamentary army（17）; (4) Baptist society（浸信会dissenting sect） , preacher（牧师）; (P113)
(5) prison, 12 years；making shoe laces，and writing the book. “If you let me out today，I will preach again tomorrow” (6)fever， died
The Pilgrim Progress (1) The allegory (寓言)in dream form. (2) the plot.
It tells of the spiritual pilgrimage (朝圣之旅)of Christian who flies from the City of Destruction, meets with the perils（危险） and temptations of the Slough of the Despond（绝望潭） , Vanity Fair（名利场）, and Doubting Castle（疑惑城）, faces and overcomes the demon（魔鬼） Appollyon, and finally comes to the Delectable Mountains （愉悦山）and Celestial City（圣城）. (3) the theme.
Describes the spiritual sufferance of the poor people at a time of great changes, and their aspiration for “the land that flow with milk and honey” .”There you will not see such things as sorrow, sickness, affliction, and death”. （4）characteristics
Through his work we hear the lowest classes before and since the English Revolution.
Its characters impress the readers like real persons. (Mr Worldly, Mr Legality, Faithful)
He cherished a deep hatred(憎恨) of both the king and his government. He saw and detested(厌恶) the injustice of
laws ,trials, and magistrates, between whom and his saints(圣徒） there was a perpetual war. That is why his pilgrim’s progress had won immediate success among people from all walks of life and has become one of the most widely-read and popular works in the English language.
Bunyan’s prose is admirable. It is popular speech (平实的语言)ennobled by the solemn dignity and simplicity of the English Bible.
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