Historical background of swift
- he was born in ireland
- passed away in ireland
- concerned with conflict of ireland and england (england considered ireland as part of their territory
- cromwell dies before swift was born
- matter of religion: catholocism
- cromwell took property in ireland to give it to british settlers(further control of ireland)–> this led to rebellion and massacre of british settlers
- oppressive laws and taxation: led to difficult relationship between the 2 countires
neoclassicsm & enlightenment
- looking back to classics and models
- love and glorification of one’s city
- use of reason and logic
- idealism and form
enlightenment: belief in the power of human reason and by innovations in political, religious, and educational doctrine.
satire
DEF: piece of work in which human vice and folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit
- optimistic: create change, try hard to not be overly offensive
- pessimistic: overly offensive and hoped to rally troops of those who agree with them and bring power to their side
swift’s deterioration
swift was going insane in his last years (may have had alzheimers)
- he predicted his mental decay at 50 ( “i shall be like that tree, i shall die from the top”)
- very generous and he left the estate to establish hospital for the ill
Johnathan Swift: the man!
- looked back to juvenal (roman patron-pessimist)
- wrote pessimistic satire
- love and glorification of ireland
- used logic and reason
- interested in individual with in society
- born in dublin 1667, father died months before birth,he moved to england with mom, then she left him in his uncle(who was very wealthy) to make sure he had a good life and she went back to england (+edu -emotionally)
- swift studied at some of the best, well educated
- after edu, for financial and political reasons,moved back and forth from england to ireland
- anglican reverend(but defended catholics in some of his works)–defending against prejudice due to religious affiliation
- he met a girl at 22, esther johnson. referred to her as stella.
- -started off as her tutor, became close and lived with him, then they secretly married when she was 35 and he was 50.
- -it was an ambiguous relationship: they found lock of girl’s hair in prized book in the library. she died at 47, and he died at 76
Epitaph
swift wrote his own epitaph.
gulliver’s travels
- swift
- about a seafaring who has adventures on 4 separate voyages overseas. it exposes aspects of govt,war,human nature
- a voyage of liliput: liliputians 6” tall. their govt(vice and follys). supposed to represent that of english govt.
-a voyage of brobdingnag: place of giants. ideal form of govt:shares with them how govt in england is and the are horrified and criticize it.
THEME: criticizing govt of england.
Modest proposal
-written by swift
-pessimistic satire.
WHY is this piece SO believable?:
1. swift does not break character at all
2. build seems like its real (verasimilitude) and authentic
3.diction plays on word choice
4. uses logic and why ireland may benefit
5. says thought of everything, this will only work.
—PROPOSALS:
6.addresses critics: how to find food for everyone, vs. if kids were adults, the would rather have been sold as food rather than face reality and the hardships.
7. irish in bad shape due to oppression from landlords, huge population.
8. ending: not beneficial for me, only doing this to find solution and love of country. ( doesnt affect me, so its a good plan.)
-wealthy, ignorant people are being mocked.
-piece is ironic b/c it is NOT modest and also because one day we may end up like this if we do not improve our human condition.
Voltaire
- born francois marie arouet
- understanding universe in logical terms (can manipulate this existence to benefit mankind)
- god exists but does not interfere with day to day life
- DEIST OR DEISM: god exist, one can have spiritual relationship with god, but time is controlled by logic
- critical of catholocism: born in paris in late 17th century, he spent much time in england
- studied law but had to interest in a career in law (father not happy)
- voltaire: pen name. used 170 pseudonyms
- influenced by english and religious tolerance. also influenced by religious travels.
- always in trouble with authority: french revolution (taxation wars and high class lived in luxury)
- church was opposing its own people
- at 23, thrown in jail due to criticism of govt: came up with the pseudonym voltaire (fiery and aggressive)
- exiled twice, had to live in england during time of exile
Candide
VOLTAIRE -optimism: leibniz. this world is the best of all and if it changed it would make people suffer in some way
-candide (aka voltaire) means white, blank,clarity,pure.
-in the end, it doesnt matter what world we live in, we need to cultivate our own garden.
-pangloss was a master of metaphaphysicotheologocosmolonigology.
-satires with in plot:
1. earthquake and leisben: people sacrifice 4 indiv who are heretics to stop earthquakes and end suffering. however, there is earthquake right after.
-no hope if you believe this is best world. dont worry about good vs evil
-candide’s flaw: cant stay and be content there in el dorado
-el dorado: utopian lifestlye
-C is attacked by cunegund’s bro and she is ugly at the end
-earthquake and war influenced him
-martin v pangloss:
>C hires Martin, a downtrodden scholar, to accompany him on his journey from Buenos Aires to France precisely because of Martin’s misfortune and pessimism. Martin embodies the polar opposite philosophical standpoint of Pangloss and Candide’s. Martin believes that the world is inherently evil, that any semblance of good is fleeting and that even what appears happy is undoubtedly not.
>pangloss- teaches that in this best of all possible worlds, everything happens out of absolute necessity, and that everything happens for the best.
romanticism background
-rxn against enlightenment period (imagination and emotion)
-CHAR:
1. interest in folk lore (lady of shallot)
2. prioritized the individual
3. priority of emotion over reason
4. imaginative poems : means to transcendental experience (above common thought or spiritual)
5. reverence for nature
6. interest in the supernatural
7. melancholy concerning man and death
-big 6: blake, wordsworth,byron,tennyson,poe, and shelley
>lyrical ballads: manner of romantic poetry (collection of poetry)
-lake district: where poets lived or went to write. for a peace of mind
James from candide
He brings into the picture the Christian theory that there is past sin (Adam and Eve, and that whole unfortunate apple business) and there is redemption to come. Optimists forget or ignore original sin – many Christians saw Optimism as a failure because of its inability to reconcile its philosophy with this age-old story. The Anabaptists are also represented by an unnamed character, a man of the Inquisitor, who asks Pangloss the question, “You must not believe in original sin, then?” Pangloss’s response (man’s fall into sin was necessarily the best course of events)
- dies to save the unscrupulous sailor, who in turn does nothing to rescue James.
baron from candide
Cunégonde’s brother, the Baron, for his uncompromising adherence to traditional ideas about lineage and status. Despite his appreciation of Candide and feelings of brotherhood towards him, the Baron is unwilling to permit Candide to marry his sister because of her higher social status. Candide is unable to change the Baron’s mind, even after buying his freedom from a galley chain gang. At this point, the Baron continues to focuses his disapproval on Candide’s lineage rather than the fact that Candide stabbed and nearly killed him about twenty pages before. Even when Cunégonde has become middle aged, unattractive, and unlikely to marry otherwise, the Baron would rather see her alone than married below her social caste.
Blake
- earliest poet
- well known as artist. commissioned to illustrate divine comedy
- very spiritual,contemplating relationship with god
- had divine visions: poems and pieces are explorations of faith
the little lamb
- BLAKE
- when he is at peace with god
- meek lamb (jesus is known as lam of god, sacrificial lamb)
- creation of man
- repetitive, questions in specific way
- q & a— then definitive statement
- comfortable with god as creator
the tyger
- BLAKE
- orwell said 1984 is very similar to this poem
- fearful symmetry**:god is great yet he also creates beings that have potential of fear and danger
- trying to understand why
- doesnt answer q’s
- bold words
wordsworth
- lost both parents at young age
- 3/5 children died during lifetime
- found comfort at lake district
byron
- father left family early on
- had deformity in foot: limp and pain
- blamed mother for everything
- troubled relationships with women
daffodils
WORDSWORTH
- rejeuvenating nature
- aka “i wandered lonely as a cloud”
- collab of wife,wordsworth,and his sister
- great imagery (swaying of flowers)
- walk: doesnt think about nature then. doesnt realize once he is indoors and in a vacant mood how much nature comforts him
- nature, priority of indiv, emotion over reason
she walks in beauty
BYRON
- known as romantic and sensual poem
- byron wrote this about cousin (thru marriage) who he saw at funeral.
- testimony to cousin’s physical beauty
- comparing beauty to night
- ref. to her as innocent
- distancing attraction to her
lady of shallot
lord tennyson
edgar allen poe
- dark poet
- started horror genre
- troubled upbringing: mother died early on from tb
- father :estranged
- allen fam. took him in. (they were a fan of mom who was an actress)
- he was close to mrs allen who died from tb
- not close to mr allen who didnt want to formally adopt him, so due to difficulties with him, moved in with aunt
- fell in love with aunt’s daughter virginia. (married her at 13)
- she died of tb at 23.
- poe was an alcoholic
the raven
POE
- narrative
- man missing his love lenore
- poe thought that the best poetry is one that is long enough to draw reader in but not overwhelm (100 lines approx. raven is 108)
- wrote climax first, then worked backwards
- the man is driven mad due to memories and grief and he can never be in peace (nevermore)
- raven: black omen(he initially considered to make the bird a parrot)
- diction: midnight,december, pallace (deity of wisdom)
- knew couldnt have a convo with person because that would have intro’d logic and reason
- raven: insanity!
