History of Puritan And Restoration Age :-
Questions :-
1) Write blog on any one or more writers of this ages.
2) Write on general characteristics of this age.
3) Compare characteristics of literature of these ages.
4) Write on a group of writers like Prose writers or Poets of the age.
In this blog I write about the writer of The Puritan Age "John Milton".,
1). Write on any one or more writers of this ages.
About The Puritan Age :-
In its broadest sense The Puritan movement may be regarded as a second and greater Renaissance, a rebirth of the moral nature of man following the intellectual awakening of Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In Italy , whose influence had been uppermost in Elizabethan Literature, The Renaissance had been essentially pagan and sensuous. It had hardly touched the moral nature of a man, and it bought little relief from the despotism of rulers. One can hardly read the horrible records of the Medici or the Bargain , or the political observation of Machiavelli , without marveling at the moral and political degradation of a cultural nation.
"The greatest moral and political reform which ever swept over a nation in the short space of half a century ".
Which meant by The Puritan movement we shall understand it better if we remember that it had two chief objects : The first was personal righteousness ; the second was civil and religious liberty . In other words, it aimed to make men honest and to make them free.
Writers Of The Puritan Age :-
In this age writers were mostly wrote Poetry and Prose. There are four types of Poets according to W. J. Long.
1). The Transition Poets
2). The Spenserian Poets
3). The Metaphysical Poets
4). The Cavalier Poets the
The Transition Poets | The Spencerian Poets | The Metaphysical Poets | The Cavalier Poets | Prose Writers |
Samuel Deniel | Giles Fletcher | John Donne | Robert Herrick | John Bunyan |
| | George Wither | Abraham Cowley | Sir Richard Lovelace | Robert Burton |
| | John Milton | Henry Vaughan | John Suckling | Sir Thomas Browne |
| | | Andrew Marvell | Thomas Carew | Thomas Fuller |
| | | Richard Crashaw | John Milton | Jeremy Taylor |
| | | Edmund Waller | | Rechard Baxter |
| | | George Herbert | | Izaak Walton |
| | | Davenant | | |
| | | Denham | | |
1). The Transition Poets
The Transition Poets means a poets who wrote their works about the reign of religion and kingdom. Their classifications attempted here have small dependence upon dates or sovereigns , and are suggestive rather than accurate.
There is only one poet who is The Transition poet "Samuel Daniel (1562- 1619).
2). The Spencerian Poets
The Spencerian Poets were the followers of Spencer. Inspite of the changing conditions and revolt against Italian poetry which Spencer and Sidney had made fashionable during the sixteenth century they preferred to follow spencer and considered his as their master.
The Spencerian Poets are like., Giles Fletcher(1588? - 1623) , George Wither (1588 - 1667) , John Milton (1608 -1674)he also follows Spencer at early years.
3). The Metaphysical Poets
The name "Metaphysical" was first used by Dr. Johnson in his essay on Abraham Cowley in his "Lives Of The Poets". Dr. Johnson gave his name in derisions because of the fantastic form of Donne's Poetry.
The Metaphysical Poets are like .,John Donne(1573 - 1631) , Abraham Cowley (1618 -1667) , Andrew Marvell(1621 -1678) , Henry Vaughan (1622 - 1695) , Richard Crashaw (1613? - 1649) , Edmund Waller (1606- 1687) , George Herbert (1593 -1633) , Davenant , Denham.
4). The Cavalier Poets
The Cavalier Poets sympathized the king. Some of them went into exile with the king and the other stayed home in England. The Cavalier Poets writes their works about that time and also in favour of King.
The Cavalier Poets are like., Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674) , Sir Richard Lovelace (1618 - 1658) , John Suckling (1609 - 1642) , Thomas Carew (1598? - 1639?) , John Milton (1608 - 1674).
Prose Writers of The Puritan age :-
- John Bunyan (1628 - 1688)
- Robert Burton(1577 - 1640)
- Sir Thomas Browne (1605 - 1682)
- Thomas Fuller (1608 - 1661)
- Jeremy Taylor (1613 - 1667)
- Rechard Baxter (1615 - 1691)
- Izaak Walton (1593 - 1683)
About John Milton :-
Milton is a poet of Steadfast will and purpose ,who moves like a God amaid the fears and hopes and changing impulses of the world , regarding then as trivial and momentary things that can never swerve a great soul from its course.
Milton is like an ideal in the soul,like a lofty mountain on the horizon. We never attain the ideal; but life never climb the mountain; but life would be inexpressible poorer were either to be taken away.
MILTON's NOTABLE WORKS :-
1. Paradise Lost
2. Paradise Regained
3. L'Allegro
4. Il Penseroso
5. Comus
6. Lycidas
7. On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
John Milton
8. The antiprelatical pamphlets Of Reformation Touching Church
9. Discipline in England
10. Prelatical Episcopacy
11. Animadversions
12. The Reason of Church Government
13. Apology for Smeetymrus, and the divorce pamphlets-
14. Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
15. The Judgement of Martin Bucer
16. Tetrachordon and Celasterion
17. Of Education
18. Areopagitica
19. The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
20. Eiconoklastes
21. Defensio Propopulo
22. Defensio Secunda
23. Defersio pro-Se
Milton Early Life And Education :-
John Milton is considered the greatest poet after Shakespeare. He was born in London in Bread Street on the 9th December 1608. His father was a scrivener (notary public), who had embraced the Puritan faith. But whose Puritanism was not of the hard and forbidding type. His father at an early age destined Milton to the “study of letters”.He received his early childhood education at home under private tutors. Then he was admitted to St. Paul's School, perhaps in 1620.
Milton became a obedient student first at St. Paul's School, then at Christ's College, Cambridge. At school, he studied Latin and Greek besides his subject. In 1625, Milton matriculated at Christ's College Cambridge. He obtained his BA degree in 1629 and his MA in 1632 at the same university.
Milton wrote the earliest of his English poems “On the Death of a Fair Infant” in 1628. His great poem in English was “On the Morning of Christ's Nativity” probably in the long vacation of 1631. After taking his MA degree, Milton went to stay at his father's country house at Horton. After leaving Cambridge, he lived with his father in studious retirement at Horton.
In 1637, Milton's mother died and the poet set out eighteen months on the continental tour of Europe in 1638. In April of this year, he reached Italy. So, he returned to England in 1639. Returning to England, he took up the cudgels against the established Church and on behalf of freedom of the press. He resolved to throw himself to the civil war to secure civil and religious liberty of his countrymen.
From 1640 onward, Milton was increasingly active as a supporter of the Puritan cause against the Royalist. As a pamphleteer, he became indeed one of the great pillars of that cause, and on the establishment of the commonwealth was appointed Latin Secretary to the committee for Foreign Affairs.
Married :-
In 1642, Milton went Into the country on a commission for his father, met Mary Pow ell. In 1643, Milton married Mary Powell, the young daughter of a royalist, but the union proved a most unhappy one. In 1649, Charles I was executed and Milton wrote his political tract Tenure of Kings and Magistrates in which he supported the execution of the deposed king.
He lost his eyesight in 1652, the year of the death of his first wife. He married for the second time in 1656, a third time in 1663. Then came the Restoration in 1660. With this began a period of dishonour and danger in the life of the poet. Charles II was restored to the throne. The poet was arrested but he was released under the Act of Amnesty and Oblivion.
Milton now retired to his solitary abode and once again devoted himself to the service of poetry. He wrote about twenty-five pamphlets on the current social, political problems. The Paradise Lost was completed in 1663. Its sequel Paradise Regained followed in 1665. Finally, in 1667. came the masterpiece of classical tragedy “Samson Agonistes.”
Died :-
He died on the 8th of November 1679.
John Milton's Literary Career :-
Milton's literary career is divided into three periods, and the poems he composed during these periods have great importance in the history of English literature.
1. The First Period (1629-1640)
2. The Second Period (1640-1660)
3. The Third Period (1660-1674)
1. The First Period (1629-1640)
The first period is popularly known as the Horton period. In this period there are the poetical features of a belated Elizabethan in Milton. But the Puritanic note is manifest even in these early poems. Both the Renaissance exuberance and the reformist excitement are seen in his early works.
The main literary works of the first period are-
1. Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity
2. On the Death of a Fair Infant
3. Two sonnets O Nightingale and
4. How Soon hath time and five Italian ones-
5. Arcades, Comus
6. L' Allegro
7. II Penseroso and
8. Lycidas.
2. The Second Period (1640-1660)
The Second Period extends from 1640 to 1660. The period of the important constitutional struggles, John Milton's poetic career was largely held in abeyance during this period and he was mainly engaged in writing controversial pamphlets during this time. This is also the period of his sonnets, every one of which is a gem in the quarry of English poetry. They form a noble autobiography of Milton and show that a change has come over his literary career.
The literary works of this second period are:
1. The antiprelatical pamphlets Of Reformation Touching Church
2. Discipline in England
3. Prelatical Episcopacy
4. Animandversions
5. The Reason of Church Government
6. Apology for Smeetymrus, and the divorce pamphlets-
7. Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
8. The Judgement of Martin Bucer
9. Tetrachordon and Celasterion
10. Of Education
11. Areopagitica
12. The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates
13. Eiconoklastes
14. Defensio Propopulo
15. Defensio Secunda
16. Defersio pro Se
The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Common Wealth and the remaining Sixteen English sonnets.
3. The Third Period (1660-1674)
The Third Period 1660-1674 is the period of the great poems o Milton. The storm has blown over, the old, blind, disappointed poet has seen much of life and things, This is the period of “Paradise Lost,” Paradise Regained and Samson Agonistes. The deeply spiritual, import, soul-stirring music, political symbolism, serious elevation, magnificent diction etc. Of these poems show that Milton's poetic power is at its highest.
The theme of Milton Poetry
The first and the most remarkable element in Milton's poetry is his lofty theme. Like his character, his poetry has a sort of loftiness in its theme. In his earlier poem as well as later, in his lyrics as well as epics, his subjects matter is always noble and inspiring. Milton himself once remarked that great poetry must be “simple, sensuous and passionate”. His own poetry well illustrates the truth of his contention. All his poems and epics well demonstrate the happy combination of simplicity, sensuousness, and impulsiveness in great poetry.
About John Milton's Most famous Work
"Paradice Lost "
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny. The struggle rages across three worlds - heaven, hell, and earth - as Satan and his band of rebel angels plot their revenge against God. At the center of the conflict are Adam and Eve, who are motivated by all too human temptations but whose ultimate downfall is unyielding love.
Word Count :- 1900
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