11 An outline of British literature

In a trial the Oracle of Delphi declares the queen guiltless but the King still banishes her. Their young son dies of grief but the Queen's newborn baby daughter is rescued from death by a Bohemian shepherd who raises her as his daughter. The play has a happy ending.

1. Neo-classical period (Revolution + Restoration), 1600-1700

• Time of social change and revolution

• 2 opposing groups:

1) Feudal classes + King James I + the Anglican Church

2) the Puritans with increasing influence in Parliament

• It lead to the civil war, king beheaded, the Puritan Parliament ruled until 1660

• Charles II – restoration of the monarchy, upper class – care-free, morally loose living

• Emphasis on reason and logic

• Stresses harmony, stability, wisdom

• Satire: uses irony and exaggeration to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behaviour

• Poetry, essays, letters, diaries, biographies, novels

JOHN MILTON 1608-1674

• Supported the Puritan revolution which aimed to purify the Anglican Church

• His masterpieces:

• Paradise Lost

• Paradise Regained (both written after the restoration)

1. Classicism, 1700-1780

• Literature features social criticism and political satire

• Origin and development of the novel (D. Defoe)

• Greatest satirist – Jonathan Swift

JONATHAN SWIFT 1667-1745

• Satirist and poet, born in Dublin, admired as one of the finest authors of prose and satire in English language

• His best-known book is Gulliver´s Travels – allegory of Gulliver´s travelling through imaginary countries.

• Gulliver’s Travels was a controversial work when it was first published in 1726.

• Gulliver’s Travels serves as a biting satire, it is both humorous and critical, constantly attacking British and European society through its descriptions of imaginary countries.

• Gulliver’s Travels - It is a story of Lemuel Gulliver. In this novel the hero visits four quite different worlds. The book has 4 parts; Gulliver visits countries of Lilliput (a country of tiny people), Brobdingnag (giants), Laputa (a flying island of scholars) and Houyhnhnms (wise horses).

DANIEL DEFOE 1660-1731

• Novelist, journalist and politician. Had a remarkable life, was fascinated by trade

• Founder of the novel

• The most important books are Robinson Crusoe, The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders.

• Robinson Crusoe is an Englishman from the town of York in the 17th century, the youngest son of a merchant. Encouraged by his father to study law, Crusoe expresses his wish to go to sea instead. His family is against but Crusoe still goes on to set himself up as merchant on a ship leaving London.

Crusoe makes couple of voyages, on 1 of them his ship is seized by Pirates and Crusoe is enslaved in Africa. He successfully escapes to Brazil and establishes his plantation. Then he embarks on a slave-gathering expedition to West Africa but ends up shipwrecked off of the coast of Trinidad.

Crusoe soon learns how to survive. One day Crusoe is shocked to discover a man’s footprint on the beach. Later Crusoe catches sight of thirty cannibals with their victims. One of the victims is killed. Another one, suddenly breaks free and runs toward Crusoe’s dwelling. Crusoe protects him and defeats the cannibals. Crusoe names the victim Friday, to commemorate the day on which his life was saved, and takes him as his servant. Later he also saves Friday‘s father, some Spaniards and a captain of one ship. Crusoe returns to England on the captain‘s ship and learns his plantation in Brazil is highly profitable. He sells his plantation, departs for East Indies as a trader and revisits his island.