NeoClassica

Dryden's Mock Heroic Verse John Dryden was an incredibly well-educated and brilliant author and critic who was able to unite  all his talents and fathered a genre of literature that we enjoy to this day. You might say that it all began with his famed mock-epic poem “Mac Flecknoe.” The poem, I believe, was intended for a particular audience, much like today’s political satire is most effectively enjoyed by those who keep up with politics. That is why it is important to familiarize yourself with the historical context of when literature was written to appreciate the overall meaning and be able to walk away with more than just a personal interpretation. In Mac Flecknoe, Dryden presents a writer who can’t quite deliver. Mac Flecknoe will do anything to try and come across as funny, but his wit falls short.  It is common that the author Dryden was talking about was Thomas Shadwell. What Dryden does in his mock-epic is to attack all the elements that Shadwell was ai...

Science and Religion This week we read and discussed issues that have always affected the human mind and our existence: Politics and Science. “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan.  Bunyan was a very religious and political man as is evident in this particular text about a man named “Christian” and the journey he must endure. It is important to remember that in the 17th century, religion and politics were synonymous. John Bunyan was himself a Protestant, had had a modest education and went to jail about twelve times as a result of his beliefs. It’s believed that it was during his time in prison that Bunyan began to write “ The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Bunya’s story is presented as a dream where the main character, Christian, journeys to find salvation and encounters many obstacles and characters that either aid or disrupt his trip. The characters are appropriately named after their function in Christian’s journey. They have names such as “Evangelist,” “Faithful,...

My immediate response to Neo-Classical/Restoration literature is one of great curiosity because of the circumstances that fueled the writers associated with this time period. Neo-Classical literature was a response to the major social and political changes England was experiencing. In the writings is the evidence of an artistic and intellectual release that could be expressed after the restoration of the English Monarchy with Charles II, which also lends the name to the literary period. Various types of literature emerged from the Restoration period of literature ranging from religious, risque, and my personal favorite, satirical.  Authors such as John Dryden expressed their opinions with satires such as Mac Flecknoe in which he targets his once friend Thomas Shadwell. A master of wit, Dryden mixes crude "fat jokes" with allusions to classic literature such as the Aenid, to insult his once friend. Nor let thy mountain belly make pretence Of likene...

About Me I am an English Interdisciplinary Major taking a course on English Restoration literature. This will be a weekly blog with which I hope to share insight, along with my interpretation, of The Restoration and Eighteenth Century literature of which I was not very familiar with prior to taking this course.   “Here lies a Proof that Wit can never be defence  enough against Mortality”  ―  Aphra Behn