31 August, 2022
Hello friends, Here I am going to write a blog on Puritan Age and Restoration Age. Which is assigned by Dilip Barad sir.
∆ General characteristics of the age :
Characteristics of Puritan Age :
The period between 1625 and 1675 is known as the “Puritan Age, because during the period, Puritan standards prevailed in England, and also because the greatest literary figure John Milton was a Puritan. The Puritans struggled for righteousness and liberty.
Characteristics of Puritan Age :
→ Puritan Literature was not meant to be entertaining. It was meant to provide the reader with lessons on religious themes and on how to live a more virtuous and pious life by God's word. The main theme was predestination, which meant that everyone is born a sinner and that a select few had been chosen by the will of God to enter heaven. Because it is unknown whether a person has been selected by God or not, everyone should live virtuously and morally.
→ The main goal of Puritan Literature was to teach and provide frameworks on how to live a life that follows the teachings of God and the Bible. Puritans did not view literature as a form of entertainment; therefore, they shunned elaborate and complex forms of writing. Rather, they wrote simply and directly. This allowed the author to reach their point faster and more clearly. It also allowed the author to write for a wider audience, as it appealed to multiple levels of education in society.
→ The Bible was the main framework by which Puritans lived. Therefore, Biblical allusions commonly appear in Puritan Literature.Biblical allusions most often come in the form of the author referencing a biblical character or event, indirectly comparing that biblical character or event to a character or event in the work of literature. Puritan authors would also use allusions to draw comparisons between a contemporary struggle to a struggle found in the Bible, with the hopes it would help the reader find clarity or a solution to the problem.
→ Puritanism and Puritan Literature used fear often. By instilling a reader with a fear of God's power, they are more likely to make changes in their lives to live in accordance with the word of God and the Bible. Puritan authors would often describe the eternal damnation waiting for a sinner if they lived a life that went against the word of God and the Bible. Emotional tactics such as fear had great influence and impact, especially when it concerned the afterlife.
→ A conception of each individual life as a journey to salvation. Puritans saw direct connections between Biblical events and their own lives.
→Puritans used writing to explore their inner and outer lives for signs of the workings of God.
→Diaries and histories were the most common forms of expression in Puritan society, because they directly expressed the workings of God.
→Puritans favored a plain style, similar to that ofthe Geneva Bible. They stressed clarity of expression and avoided complicated figures of speech.
The Restoration Age :
The period from 1660 to 1700 is mentioned as the Restoration Age or the Age of Dryden because the monarchy was restored in England.
Characteristics of Restoration Age :
∆ Rise of Neo-Classicism :
The Restoration marks a complete break with the past and the Elizabethan Romanticism was almost over. With the end of the past, literature took a new spirit and outlook and a different attitude in the subject and style. Lacking of the genius in Elizabethans, the authors of the time turned to the great classical writers, particularly Latin writers, for guidance and inspiration. This habit was hardened during the Age which we called Neo – Classicism.
∆ Imitation of The Ancients :
The authors of the period were not endowed with exceptional talents. So, they turned to the ancient writers for guidance and inspiration. They directed their attention to the slavish imitation of rules and ignore the importance of the subject – matter. This habit was noticeable in the Age of Dryden. And it was strengthened in the Age of Pope.
∆ Realism :
Restoration literature is realistic. It was concerned with the life and with the fashion and manners. Later, this tendency of realism becomes more wholesome.
∆ Social life :
The Restoration writers weren't interested in silly things like nature, or grand philosophical questions. They were interested in all the drama that went on in the society in which they lived. Social behavior and social manners, then, are big themes in Restoration literature.
∆ Satire :
The Restoration writers developed satire as a genre and a style of writing. These authors loved picking on people—literary rivals, religious figures, even entire social classes—and showing just how ridiculous they all were. Restoration writers mastered the art of poking fun at people.
∆ New Literary Forms :
The writers of the age went against the Elizabethan romantic ideals and tried to give realistic picture of the corrupt court and society. They exposed vices rather than virtues.
