Milton's Style

The Renaissance Literature from Hetaldabhi2

Renaissance Literature

Ben Johnson

        Benjamin Jonson was an English playwright, poet, actor, and literary critic, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours.

His major works 

⬛️ A Tale of a Tub

⬛️Volpone of a Tub

⬛️The Masque of Blackness

⬛️Volpone 

⬛️The Alchemist 

⬛️Bartholomew Fair 

Here is some famous works in brief 

⬛️ A Tale of a Tub 

           A Tale of a Tub (play) A Tale of a Tub is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Ben Jonson. The last of his plays to be staged during his lifetime, A Tale of a Tub was performed in 1633 and published in 1640 in the second folio of Jonson's works.

            Although it was questioned sharply by W. W. Greg, the idea that A Tale of A Tub is Jonson's earliest surviving play, antedating even The Case Is Altered, seems to have acquired the status of a fact. Collier was the first to query its chronological position in the posthumous Second Folio of 1640, where it appears between The Magnetic Lady and the unfinished pastoral The Sad Shepherd as Jonson's last complete play. Jonson's Oxford editors, however, are really responsible for what has become widespread acceptance of the notion that, although the dramatist tinkered with this piece of ‘juvenilia’ in the early 1630s in order to make it accommodate a satire on Inigo Jones, and although its first known performance was by Queen Henrietta's Men at The Cockpit in 1633, it should be assigned substantially to the beginning of his career as a dramatist, probably about 1596. In support of this contention, Herford and Simpson point to what they see as two distinct verse styles in the comedy, one Elizabethan and the other typical of late Jonson, the supposedly colourless nature of the characters, and ‘Archaism carried to a point where the allusions would hardly be intelligible in 1633’ (H. & S., vol. IX, p. 275).

In fact, this charming and unjustly neglected play makes sense only when read – in its entirety – as a Caroline work.

⬛️Volpone 

            In the first few scenes of the play, the audience is treated to a display of Volpone's confidence game. First, the lawyer Voltore comes in and presents Volpone with an 'antique plate bought of St. Mark.' To Volpone's face, Voltore wishes 'Would to heaven, I could as well give health to you, as that plate!' Then, privately to Mosca he says, 'Am I inscribed his heir for certain?' Mosca promises him that he is, prompting Voltore to continue, 'But am I sole heir?' Mosca assure him that he is, and he responds 'Happy, happy, me!'

        Next, Corbaccio enters. Not only does Mosca accept a bag of cecchines (valuable coins) from Corbaccio, he also convinces Corbaccio to disinherit his son, Bonario, and name Volpone heir to his estate. Corbaccio agrees to this under the reasoning that sick Volpone will die long before him, so he will actually be doing his son a favor. In reality, Mosca informs the audience that Corbaccio is actually 'more impotent than this [Volpone] can feign to be.'

               Finally, Corvino, a merchant, brings Volpone a diamond and a pearl. When he's gone, the discussion between Volpone and Mosca turns to Corvino's wife, Celia. Mosca informs Volpone that she is the most beautiful woman in Italy. Volpone's covetousness turns suddenly from Corvino's property to Corvino's wife, and he decides that he must see her. He disguises himself as a mountebank - a quack doctor who puts on a show to sell useless medicines - named Scoto of Mantua and performs a medicine show beneath Celia's window.

           Celia drops her handkerchief from her window to make a purchase from the mountebank (who is actually Volpone of course). But then, her husband, Corvino, comes out in a rage. He accuses Scoto of Mantua (not knowing he is Volpone) of trying to cuckold him. The audience sees for the first time here that Corvino is an extremely jealous man and very possessive of Celia.

               In the next scene, Volpone confesses to Mosca that he is in love with Celia. 'Angry Cupid, bolting from her eyes, hath shot himself into me like a flame.' He then asks Mosca to help him steal Corvino's wife! Mosca devises a plan for this. He goes to Corvino and tells him that Scoto of Mantua's oil has cured Volpone. The final part of the doctor's plans, Mosca tells him, is to find a beautiful woman for Volpone to sleep with in order to 'warm his blood.' Still eager to be the heir in Volpone's will, Corvino offers up his own wife: 'the party you wot of shall be my own wife, Mosca.'

Coleridge

Coleridge

         

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets.






⬛️ Different between poem and prose






Coleridge says that a poem contains the elements as a prosecomposition. Both of them use words.so there is no difference between a poem and a prosecomposition. In this respect ,coleridge says – “A poem contains the same elements as a prosecomposition.” But one difference is to be noticed here






The divisions between poetry and prose aren't clear-cut, but here are some generally accepted differences. The language of prose is typically straightforward without much decoration. Ideas are contained in sentences that are arranged into paragraphs. There are no line breaks.






⬛️Different between poem and poetry






Poem

A poem is the arrangement of words that contain meaning and musical elements. It is a piece of writing that expresses the writer’s thought and feelings in order to set a mood; it can be happy or sad, simple or complex. In just a few words, a poem can say a lot. It can inspire and awe and can be a welcome escape into something that is totally wonderful






Poetry





Poetry existed long before people became literate. Ancient poems were memorized and passed down from one generation to another orally. Indian Vedas, Zoroaster’s Gathas and Odyssey are examples of ancient poetry.

Mariou Vargos Llosa

Mariou Vargos Llosa's interview

         Mario Vargas Llosa the Peruvian novelist, was awarded the nobal prize for literature in 2010. His most recent novel is TheNeighbourhood .

   In this interview Llosa shared many ideas related to literary work in which I liked three ideas given by Llosa.

●  Idea on Feminism

●  Ideas and Images

●  Novelist is the Historian

                    Llosa on feminism in which he said that feminism has become very sectarian and dogmatic kind who always stand for stupid equality. llosa also gave an example of feminists attacked  Nabokov's "Lolita" the best novel of 20th century but feminists attacked about male characters. This kind of stupidity destroy the charm of literature.

                  Second is the image and ideas. In this points Llosa said that today's world young generation give the importance to image more than ideas. It is very harmful to youth that they think  images are creative for modern time but they do not think that this century is the age of Photoshop and post truth. 

Wordsworth's Preface to Lyrical Ballads

Preface to Lyrical Ballads

About Wordsworth

     William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication Lyrical Ballads.

Preface to Lyrical Ballads 

      The Preface to the Lyrical Ballads is an essay, composed by William Wordsworth, for the second edition of the poetry collection Lyrical Ballads, and then greatly expanded in the third edition of 1802. It has come to be seen as a de facto manifesto of the Romantic movement.

      In the preface to Lyrical Ballads, William Wordsworth explains his theory of poetry. He argues that literary tricks and devices such as personification make it difficult for writers and readers to speak simply and directly about their feelings. He hopes to combat this with his work.

•   Wordsworth outlines three principles guiding the composition of such lyrical ballads. First, the poetry must concern itself primarily with nature and life in the country.

•     Wordsworth's second reason for writing lyrical ballads is that they emphasize the status of poetry as a form of art. He intends to enlighten his readers as to the true depths of human emotion and experience.

•   Wordsworth argues that good poetry doesn't have to be overly complicated or ornamental in order to capture the reader's imagination. Clean, simple lines are best, in his opinion.

        The preface to Lyrical Ballads was written to explain the theory of poetry guiding Wordsworth’s composition of the poems. Wordsworth defends the unusual style and subjects of the poems (some of which are actually composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge) as experiments to see how far popular poetry could be used to convey profound feeling.

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe

About Author

Daniel Defoe

              Daniel Defoe, born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which is second only to the Bible in its number of translations.

         The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1719. Just as in its significantly more popular predecessor, Robinson Crusoe, the first edition credits the work's fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author.

             Robinson Crusoe is an Englishman from the town of York in the seventeenth century, the youngest son of a merchant of German origin. Encouraged by his father to study law, Crusoe expresses his wish to go to sea instead. His family is against Crusoe going out to sea, and his father explains that it is better to seek a modest, secure life for oneself. Initially, Robinson is committed to obeying his father, but he eventually succumbs to temptation and embarks on a ship bound for London with a friend. When a storm causes the near deaths of Crusoe and his friend, the friend is dissuaded from sea travel, but Crusoe still goes on to set himself up as merchant on a ship leaving London. This trip is financially successful, and Crusoe plans another, leaving his early profits in the care of a friendly widow. The second voyage does not prove as fortunate: the ship is seized by Moorish pirates, and Crusoe is enslaved to a potentate in the North African town of Sallee. While on a fishing expedition, he and a slave boy break free and sail down the African coast. A kindly Portuguese captain picks them up, buys the slave boy from Crusoe, and takes Crusoe to Brazil. In Brazil, Crusoe establishes himself as a plantation owner and soon becomes successful. Eager for slave labor and its economic advantages, he embarks on a slave-gathering expedition to West Africa but ends up shipwrecked off of the coast of Trinidad.

Thinking activity on Dryden's An Essay on Dramatic Poesy

 Thinking activity on Dryden's An Essay on Dramatic Poesy

     John Dryden was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who was made England's first Poet Laureate in 1668. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.

About his essay ' An Essay on Dramatic Poesy '

Criticism flourished in England during the restoration of Stuarts. An Essay of Dramatic Poesy deals with the views of major critics and the tastes of men and women of the time of Dryden. The work is in the form of semi-drama thus making abstract theories interesting. In the late 17th century, Shakespeare was severely criticised for his careless attitude towards the mixing of genres. It was Dryden who elevated Shakespeare to height for his natural genius.

The narrative of An Essay of Dramatic Poesy has four debaters among whom, Neander is the one who holds the views of Dryden. Unlike other characters, Neander does not diminish the arguments that are on contrary to his views. Though he himself favours modern drama, he does not blame others.

The beginning of the narrative An Essay of Dramatic Poesy or Of Dramatic Poesie is as follows. A battle is going on between England and Netherlands. Four gentlemen namely Crites, Eugenius, Lisideius and Neander are travelling by boat to see the battle and start a discussion on modern literature. 

Crites opens the discussion by saying that none of his contemporaries (i.e. moderns) can equal the standards and the rules set by ancient Greeks and Romans. Eugenius restrains him from wasting time on finding demerits. He asks him to find relative merit in Greeks and Moderns.