PURITANISM 1600 – 1660
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17th
Century may be divided into two periods.
The puritan age or the age of Milton.
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17th
Century was marked by the decline of the renaissance spirit the negative
impacts of Renaissance.
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The
writers either imitated the great master of Elizabethan period or followed new
paths.
–
There
is a marked change in temperament i.e. modern. There was a complete break away
with medieval times.
–
It
is Considered as the second and greater Renaissance
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It
was a reaction against narrow minded, gloomy dogmatist who were against all
pleasures, but they were not so.
–
It
was a period of Genuine liberty-politically and intellectually.
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It
was a period of analysed, classified, systematised knowledge.
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For
the first time the writers began using English language as a vehicle for
conveying facts.
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It
was a period of science, Newton, Bacon, Descartes belong to this period.
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There
was Popularization of autobiography in literature.
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There
was touch of realism and they satirize on actual men belonging to opposite
political and religious groups.
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There
was the rebirth of the moral nature of man which followed the intellectual
awakening.
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Unfortunately,
despotism was still order of the day.
Ø Fanaticism was still
rampant.
Ø Puritanism became a
national movement against the tyrannical rule of the King-Charles-I.
Þ
Puritan
stood for change liberty and tolerance though there were some fanatics and
extremist among them.
–
Charles-I
was defeated and beheaded in 1649.
Ø After the defeat of
king many severe laws were passed under Cromwell.
Ø Many simple modes of
recreation and amusement were banned, and an austere standard of living was
imposed on people.
–
There
were no fixed literary standards imitations so of the older poets and
exaggerations of the metaphysical poets replaced the original dignified and
highly imaginative composition of Elizabethans.
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