4188250
Flashcards by Alex Nguyen, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Alex Nguyen
over 5 years ago
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Description
| Question | Answer |
| What is metaphysics | * The most abstract form of philosophy * A branch of philosophy that seeks to explain the nature of being and reality |
| What was so particular about the 17th Century | It was a tremendous ferment in the natural sciences: instead of relying on knowledge of the past, men were using an approach based on observation & experiment |
| Who is Copernicus and what did he say in 1543 | * Polish astronomer * "It was the Sun and not the Earth that was the center of the Universe." |
| Who were deeply interested in this new science | The metaphysical poets |
| How did they integrate this new science in their work | * Their complex arguments & imagery were interwoven with references to scientific ideas * Their emotions & passions often expressed in the intellectual fashion of the scientific age -> Ex: comparing 2 souls to a compass (separate, but reliant on each other) |
| What were their greatest achievements | * The fusion of the head & heart * Imagery which was drawn from science, philosophy and the deep recesses of human emotion |
| John Donne's brief biography | * Born in London, son of a wealthy merchant * Studied at Oxford & went into law * Became secretary to statesman-> dismissed because of his secret marriage with the statesman's niece * Converted to the Anglican faith -> Ordained (1615) & (1621) became dean of St Paul's Cathedral |
| What era began because of him | A new era in the history of English lyric poetry, English satyr & religious verse |
| How was his love poetry | * Vivid and direct in thoughts & expression * Often fantastic & ludicrous |
| What are often found in his poetry | Metaphysical wit Metaphysical style |
| What is metaphysical wit | Combining of dissimilar images in which the poet brings together things normally remote |
| What is metaphysical style | * Learning in subtlety * Verses marked with frankness & realism * Delivers shock effect * Direction is blunt (matter-of-fact) * Poetry reveals a powerful dramatic and visual sense * There's a scientific preoccupation (imagery taken from science, geography, medicine, navigation) * There is a search for freshness & surprising originality |
| Describe John Donne's religious work | * They are a sharp revelation of his faith * The tone is personal & dramatic * There are affinities with his secular poems -> Ex: natural conversational diction, bluntness, intellectual imagery |
| What is the theme of his religious work | The variation of man, the sinner & his relationship with God |
| Who is John Milton and briefly describe his biography | * One of the most famous poets of the 17th C * Was a parliamentarian (Puritin) -> After he returned from Italy, he was a high official in Cromwell's government * 1650: became blind * 1660: forced to flee public life because of the restoration-> wrote /Paradise Lost/ |
| How did he prepare himself to write a long Christian epic | He traveled to Italy |
| Paradise Lost is divided into _____ books | 12 books |
| What is the theme of the whole epic | Original sin of Adam & Eve and the miseries of the world until the coming of Christ |
| What was Milton's main purpose for writing /Paradise Lost/ | "To justify the ways of God to man" |
| What inspired Milton to write /Paradise Lost/ | * The frescoes of the Sistine Chapel * The Bible |
| How does Milton describes his characters | With deep psychological insight |
| How do God and the Devil appear | They emerge as vivid forceful figures |
| What are the two first books about | About Lucifer's fall from Heaven |
| How is the Devil decribed | The Devil comes across so powerful that he is often considered the hero |
| What is Lucifer's fall | * Lucifer comes from a Greek word = light: one of the brightest angel * Was close to God, but was not #1-> didn't like that, wanted to be #1 => gathered his friends to start a revolt of the angels * Lucifer lost = his friends and him fell out of Heaven and hit Hell * Then, built himself a palace: pandemonium => Became King of Hell & name changed to Satan (= adversary) |
| What is Milton's second poem | /Paradise Regained/ |
| How many books are there in /Paradise Regained/ | 4 books |
| What is it about | * About the temptation of Christ in the wilderness (40 days/nights, fast) & his successful resistance: -> Satan: "If you are God's son, change rocks into bread." => Christ refuses -> Satan took Christ the steeple: "If you are God's son, jump to see if his angels will catch you." => Christ refuses -> Satan takes Christ to the highest mountain: "All this can be yours if you pay homage to me." => Christ refuses |
| What did Milton write after /Paradise Regained/ | /Samson Agonistes/ |
| How was the poem written | Written in the form of great tragedy |
| What does is require | The use of Greek chorus |
| What is the theme of /Samson Agonistes/ | The fallen idol's achievement of a new and less egotistical kind of heroism |
| What link can we make between Samson and Milton | The description of Samson's blindness seems to reflect Milton's political isolation & his own physical afflictions |
| Briefly describe the story | * Samson was a Danite and very strong: had been told that strength lays in his hair => must never cut it * His tribe was always winning against the Philistines * Samson fell in love with Delilah (Philistine) who was paid by to find out Samson's secret * Samson tells her his secret-> the next day, he is bald and as weak as a baby * Philistines dragged Samson, poked his eyes and threw him into a dungeon => they win all the time * During feast, dragged Samson and tied him to two pillars * He asked God to forgive him and to give him his strength back one last time -> God does: pulls down pillars = temple is destroyed = killed Philistines (Delilah) and himself |
| Give other names for the Augustan Age and its French name | * The Age of Enlightment * The Age of Reason * Siècle des Lumières |
| What brought about the characteristics of the 18th C. and what are the latter | * In the 17th C: climax in science -> Laws of gravity -> Planetary movements explained in precise math terms => Brought about the belief in order & reason = characteristics of the 18th C. |
| Who came to the throne in 1702 | Queen Anne |
| What happened during her reign | * She & the Parliament brought stability to England's internal politics * New wealth was accumulated & used to elegant advantage by those who had it * New taste reflected in architecture, furnishings. china, dresses, manners => all became more elegant & refined |
| How was the Augustan poetry | * Carefully constructed * Highly polished * Refined |
| Because of its elegance, the style ______ | The style was often better suited to witty sentiments than heroic theme |
| What is a mock-heroic | * Describes a light & trivial incident in heroic language by mixing the 2 styles: the comic and/other ironic effect is heightened -> Ex: describes a card game as a battle between Greek heroes |
| Name an Augustan poet | Alexander Pope |
| What did Alexander Pope write | /The Rape of the Lock/ |
| Why was that poem written | To instill a sense of proportion into a fashionable young lady whose family has become involved in a feud because a lock of her hair had been stolen |
| What was the darker shade of the 18th C. | There were poverty and hardships Ex: many families were put in debtor's prisons |
| What is a hack writer | * A mediocre writer who lived in a decrepit area * Tried unsuccessfully to earn their living by writing |
| Which hack writer emerged | Samuel Johnson |
| What did he become | The leading literary critic of his time |
| What did he accomplish | He made it respectable to be a professional writer |
| What is his biggest achievement, why and give its disadvantages | * The dictionary * It fixes for the first time standard spelling, pronunciation & meaning of words * Style was weighty and uncompromising |