Elizabethan age and Neoclassical age

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This blog is based on thinking activity of Elizabethan age and Neoclassical age.

The Elizabethan age (1550-1620) :

Shakespearean age and English Renaissance 

Elizabethan literature, written during the reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603),the most splendid age in the history of English literature.the very famous age in history of English literature.The dominant forms of literature were theater and poetry.the Elizabethan age known as a golden age in english literature.

Writers and their works during the Elizabethan Age :

1.William Shakespeare 

-Macbeth

-king Lear

-Hamlet

-The Comedy of errors

-A Midsummer Night's Dream

2.Ben Jonson 

-Everyman in his humour

-Everyman out of his humour

-Volpone or the Fox

-Cynthia's Reavels

-The Alchemist

-Bartholomew Fair 

3.Christopher Marlowe 

-Doctor Faustus

-Edward II

-Tamburlaine the great

4.Edmund Spenser

-The Faerie Queen

-The Shepherd's Calander

-Amoretti

5.Sir Philip Sidney 

-An Apologies for the poetry

-Arcadia

-Astrophel and Stella

Characteristics of Elizabethan age :

Religious tolerance :

It is the belief that all religion is equally valid, within their own culture of origin. Religion tolerance is important to maintain peace, equality and function in a country.The two major religions in Elizabethan England were the Catholic and Protestant religions. England was bitterly divided between Catholics and Protestants as a result of various religious changes initiated by Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.Henry VIII had broken from the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope, becoming the supreme head of the Church of England. The Elizabethan Settlement was an attempt to end this religious turmoil.The Act of Supremacy of 1558 re-established the Church of England's independence from Rome, and Parliament conferred on Elizabeth the title of Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 

Devlopment of Drama:

Drama and Play is a way of entertainment.during the Elizabethan age,drama made a rapid & glorious leap into maturity. The term Elizabethan drama covers not only the beginning of poetic drama  but also the period after the reign of James I up to the closing of theatres in 1642. But modern critics generally designate the

mature phase as Jacobean drama and the decline as Caroline drama.

Translation in Elizabethan age:

Many foreign books were translated into English during the Elizabethan era. There were many translations that were as popular as the original works. Sir Thomas North translated Plutarch's Lives and John Florio translated Montaigne's Essays.

Popularity of poetry:

Sonnet was popularized in this period.England became the nest of the singing birds. Elizabethan poetry include: love, pastoral life, mythology, romance,humanism, and socio-political commentary. Major Elizabethan poets include Edmund Spence, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Sir Sydney Phillip.This age saw the flowering of poetry.

Prose and Novel :

In this age ,the prose and Novel made a most important position in English literature.

The Neoclassical age (1660-1798):

The terms 'neo', which means 'new' and 'classical'.

Neoclassical literature was written during 1660 to 1798.this time period divided into three parts:

1)The Restoration period (1660-1700)

2)The Augustan period (1700-1745)

3)The Age of Johnson (1745-1798)

This was also the era of the enlightenment, means emphasized logic and reason, and known as The Age of Reason.writers of this age tried to imitate the style of Romans and Greeks.

Major writer of neoclassical age:

1. Alexander pope

-The Rape of the Lock

-Pastorals 

-Essay on Man

2. John Dryden

-Absalom and Achitophel 

-king Arthur 

3. Jonathan Swift

-Gulliver's Travels

-A Tale of a Tub 

Neoclassical drama :

Neoclassical drama divided into two parts:

1. Restoration Drama (later 17th century)

2. Sentimental Drama (18th century)

Characteristics of neoclassical age : 

Imitation of classic:

the most important part of the Neoclassical literature is the imitation of the classics.the writers had imitated the classics, whereas Renaissance writers inspired by the classics rather than copying the past form of, Thus Neoclassical literature can be called as ‘Traditional’.

Concept of nature:

The most important characteristic of neoclassical age.they talk about human nature,the nature of man and woman. It tells what human nature should be like.

Age of Reason: 

Literature was based on logic and argument. people Developed a scientific and philosophic attitude towards life and literature. Because of this scientific revolution, people are becoming more reasonable.Hence, it has been called the age of prose and reason. Social and political conduct of the age also reflected the need for reason. Intolerance, political rivalry, religious antagonism, social quarrel, etc, are found in the works of prose writers. 

The development of prose was manifested in the literary works of the following authors in particular, apart from various kinds of journals, criticism, letters, philosophical writings, and biography which also manifested the development of English prose. The remarkable prose writers of the 18th century are—-Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, Joseph Addison, and Richard Steele, Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, James Boswell, etc.

Citation/reference:

History of English literature,book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabethan_Religious_Settlement#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DCatholics%2C_however%2C_would_have_no%2Cvestments_as_the_major_issue.?wprov=sfla