Literature

LiteratureKathryn, Claire, Grace and Devon

William Shakespeare 1564-1616

38 plays 154 sonnets

Christian Holy Trinity Church

The Globe Theatre

The Plague In 1593, the plague was terrorizing the city of

London. Reflected in his work: The Rape of Lucrece in 1594

Romeo and Juliet in 1594-1595

Elizabethan Era He reflected England’s patriotic enthusiasm Richard II: “This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house Against the envy of less happier lands…”

John Milton December 9th, 1608- November 8th, 1674 The most educated poet of England

His Life at the University of Cambridge

He was very intelligent, but argumentative Radical beliefs His long hair led his peers to call him the “Lady of

Christ”

Radical to New Official During the Stuarts’ reign he was thought of as a

radical, but this changed when England became a commonwealth.

When Cromwell came into power in the 1640s, Milton became a new official in his office.

His Losses reflected his Writings

He had lost his father, a good friend, and many of his children and wives

In 1652, he lost his sight When the commonwealth died within England, he

was forced to go into hiding for writing propaganda

His Radical Beliefs in Writing

Paradise Lost

A Treatise of Civil Power and Ready and Easy Way To Establish a Free Commonwealth

Divorce Tracts

Jonathan Swift 1667-1745

Born in Dublin, Ireland on November 30th, 1667 Died on October 19th 1745 Church of Ireland Political pamphleteer, satirist and poet.

Works A Journal to Stella

Drapier’s Letters

The Battle of the Books

An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity

Gulliver’s Travels

A Tale of a Tub

A Modest Proposal His signature

Drapier’s Letters Drapier’s Letters were seven pamphlets Written to turn the public against privately created

copper coins. William Wood Condemned by Irish government

A Modest Proposal “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the

Children of Poor People in Ireland From Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Public”

Published anonymously A satirical essay

Gulliver’s Travels Told from the perception of Lemuel Gulliver Originally published as “Travels into Several Remote

Nations of the World”

Swift’s most famous piece Religious turmoil English and Irish government problems.

Excerpt “I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir: for as I

happened to lie on my back, I found my arms and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground; and my hair, which was long and thick, tied down I the same manner. I likewise felt several slender ligatures across my body, from my armpits to my thighs. I could only look upwards, the sun began to grow hot, and the light offended mine eyes. I heard a confused noise about me, but in the posture I lay, could see nothing except the sky." (Swift)

Excerpt Analysis Shows the restrictions of the British government Helplessness of people People felt as if they could not truly see what was

going on

Visual http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhoktf7X0a

Q

The Time Period’s Impact on Swift

Created/Fuelled Swift’s motives for writing The whole reason for Swift writing at all.

Swift’s Impact on His Time Period

Some took his work as a joke, although many were able to see through their comical exteriors

People took his political messages to life Saw government in a new light Drapier’s Letters succeeded in turning the public

agains William Wood, which soon turned into a national boycott.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)

Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright Considered by many to be the

Shakespeare of Spanish literature Lived during the Spanish Golden Age His influence on the Spanish language

has been so great it is often called “la lengua de Cervantes”

“The Prince of Wits” (El Príncipe de los Ingenios )

Wrote books of critiquing chivalry

Cervantes’ Life Cervantes was wounded at the Battle of Lepanto

in 1571 and lost use of his arm Battle of Lepanto: Holy League v. Ottoman Empire

Winner: Holy League (Catholic maritime states) Spain was part of the Holy League at this time

1575 he was captured by the Turks and carried to slavery in Algiers

He returned to Spain in 1580 after many attempts to escape, after paying a ransom

He goes to prison many times…never found guilty of his crimes

Excommunicated for seizing grain belonging to the cathedral authorities of Seville in 1587 over-zealously carrying out his responsibilities, which were to gather provisions for the Spanish Armada)

Historical Background Spain had been at its height of European domination during his

time Also suffered some of its worst defeats

Many of these are retold in Don Quxiote

Later in Cervantes’ life: Spanish bankruptcy- Philip II went bankrupt in 1596 from

excessive expenditures on war and his successor, Philip III, did the same in 1607 by spending a fortune on his court

Armed forces were out of date Government was inefficient Problems between classes that led to a series of internal revolts

Don Quixote Published in 1605 Considered the first modern novel Serves as a prototype for the comic novel A classic of Western literature Satire on chivalrous works About an old man with old armor, etc.

who believed he was a young knight travelling with his squire, fighting crime

Caused a demand for more that led to a plagiarist prints in 1614--causing Cervantes to complete the real second volume by the end of 1615

No work (except for the Bible) has been translated more

Terms Don Quixote coined

"the proof of the pudding is in the eating" (por la muestra se conoce el paño) “the proof is in the pudding”"

“who walks much and reads much, knows much and sees much”(quien anda mucho y lee mucho, sabe mucho y ve mucho).

Excerpts “In short, our gentleman became so caught up in

reading that he spent his nights reading from dusk till dawn and his days reading from sunrise to sunset, and so with too little sleep and too much reading his brains dried up, causing him to lose his mind. His fantasy filled with everything he had read in his books, enchantments as well as combats, battles, challenges, wounds, courtings, loves, torments, and other impossible foolishness, and he became so convinced in his imagination of the truth of all the countless grandiloquent and false inventions he read that for him no history in the world was truer.”

“Those you see there," answered his master, "with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long.“

"Look, your worship,'' said Sancho. "What we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the vanes that turned by the wind make the millstone go.“

"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that you are not used to this business of adventures. Those are giants, and if you are afraid, away with you out of here and betake yourself to prayer, while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat."

I, Don Quixotehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEnDOXmyU-o

A musical take on Don Quixote

Other Works Novelas Ejemplares ("Moral or

Instructive Tales"). They are unequal in merit as well as in character. Variety of styles: anecdotes,

romances in miniature, serious, comic

All, however, are written in a light, smooth, conversational style

 “Los Tratos de Argel” (The Traffic of Algiers) 

“La Galatea”

Moliére (1622-1673) Actual name is Jean-Baptiste

Poquelin (Moliére is his stage name) French playwright and actor Great master of comedy in Western

literature Considered to be the creator of

modern French comedy Wrote highly controversial works Considered France’s ‘answer’ to

Shakespeare

Aristocrats (such as Philippe I, Duke of Orleans—the brother of Louis XIV) paid for Molière to perform before the King at the Louvre

Molière was thereafter the official author of court entertainments

He was admired by the court and other Parisians

•Molière's satires attracted criticisms from moralists and the Roman Catholic Church. •Trartuffe ou L’Imposteur(Tartuffe or the Hypocrite) and its attack on religious hypocrisy received condemnations from the Church, while Dom Juan was banned from performance.

Historical Background Versailles built Fronde

Which led the French people to believe the best hope for stability was in the crown

Dutch/French war French-Spanish Wars

Montaigne

Background Wealthy French family Lived with a peasant family for the first 3 years All house help could only speak Latin or German to

him

Important Elected of Mayor of Bordeaux during the plague Kept balance between Catholics and Protestants

(Moderate) * Education should be learned through concrete

measures such as experience

Time Affecting his Writing

Religious turmoil Disgusted by it moderate Can never be certain of anything “What do I know?”

Time Affecting his Writing

Plague Don’t be so emotionally attached to things No point in pursuing lasting fame Be ready for death when it comes

Of DrunkenessNow, among the rest, drunkenness seems to me to be a gross

and brutish vice. The soul has greater part in the rest, and there are some vices that have something, if a man may so say, of generous in them; there are vices wherein there is a mixture of knowledge, diligence, valor, prudence, dexterity and address; this one is totally corporeal and earthly. And the rudest nation this day in Europe is that alone where it is in fashion. Other vices discompose the understanding: this totally overthrows it and renders the body stupid.

Quotes I quote others only to better express

myself. I do not care so much what I am to

others as I care what I am to myself. Even on the highest throne in the world,

we are still sitting on our ass. Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs

Famous Today Father of skepticism

Wrote short essays Rather blunt

Quoted for the influence in Black Swan

Sources Jackson J Spielvogel’s Western Civilization Textbook http://www.online-literature.com/swift/ http://incompetech.com/authors/swift/ http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/french/photos%20events/S

pring2010/montaigneOld.jpg http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Reading_Revolutions/pictures/M

ontaigne/Montaigne2291wl.jpg http://post.cloudfront.goodinc.com/wp-content/uploads/20

08/10/essays_montaigne.jpg

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/french/photos%20events/Spring2010/montaigneOld.jpg