Intro to literature 6

1. SIXth Meeting– JohnMilton& His time
The historical event which significantly mark
his era is the English Civil War I and II.
John Milton’s era came after Shakespeare’s time
(Elizabethan and Jacobean era)
John Milton was a scholar, a civil servant of
Commonwealth of England, and the most
famous English Poet during that time.

2. John Milton’s poetic and dramatic works:
• L’Allegro (the happy man) (1632): the poem is about the
joy of life in spring, outside in the morning and at home in
the evening.
• Il Penseroso (the thoughtful man) (1632): the poem is
about the thoughtful mood in autumn, studying during the
day and going to church in the evening.
• Comus (A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle) (1634): a
masque* about a lady kidnapped by the evil necromancer
Comus and tempted to fall to evil ways. She kept refusing
and in the end, was saved by her brothers and an angelic
figure.
* Masque = a play involving music, dancing, singing, acting,
elaborate stages, festive costumes and of course… masks.

3. John Milton’s poetic and dramatic works:
Arcades (1633?): another masque written for Alice Spencer,
Countess of Derby. It is about guests praising the countess
who is guided by the spirit Genius.
Lycidas (1637): a sorrowful pastoral on the death of
drowning of Edward King, Milton’s friend at Cambridge.
Paradise Lost (1667): a great epic poem in 12 books talking
about the fall of the angels, the story of Adam and Eve, and
their failure to keep God’s command. (famous for remarkable
thoughts put in musical verse and the beauty of proper
names)

4. John Milton’s poetic and dramatic works:
Paradise Regained (1671): a 4-books poem written in relation
with Paradise Lost. Here it describes the Temptation of Christ,
mostly related to hunger.
Samson Agonites (1671): a tragedy describing the last days
of Samson.
Notes: John Milton also wrote prose works, mainly about
church affair, divorce and freedom.
His best prose works is Aeropagitica, A Speech for the
Liberty of Unlicensed Printing (1644).

5. Other noteworthy works in the period:
To Althea, from Prison and To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars
(Richard Lovelace): both are sweet love lyric songs.
Ballad upon a Wedding(Sir John Suckling): light hearted and
careless lyrical poem on love.
His Majesty’s Escape (Edmund Waller): a heroic couplet.
To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, To Electra, to
Daffodils, and To Blossoms (Robert Herrick): all are sweet
lyrics emphasizing that world is beautiful and love is great.
Cooper’s Hill (Sir John Denham,1642): a poem describing
English countryside and Denham’s thought of various
subjects.

6. Other noteworthy works in the period:
Microcosmographie (John Earle, 1628): a prose about
character studies of ordinary people. It is important as a basis
for character-writing in the novel.
Vulgar Errors (Sir Thomas Browne): a study of the mistaken
belief of the poorly educated people.
Religio Medici (Sir Thomas Browne, 1642): a book on
religion and opinions on many other subjects.
John Donne (Izaak Walton,1640): a biography in prose of
Walton’s friend, John Donne.
Compleat Angler (Izaak Walton,1653): a prose of the art of
river fishing.

8. See You next week!