History of Neo-Classical age

 This task is given by Bhatt Prakruti ma'am 

1.Write about the rise of the novel form and its development in the Neo-Classical Age.

The 18th century is generally considered to be the first literary age during which we can speak of the novel as a well-established genre in British literature. The period is difficult to name; it was called by its contemporaries the Augustan or Neoclassical Age (as writers strove to identify themselves with the classical Roman model), or by other names such as Enlightenment, the Age of Reason. 18th century philosophers, such as Locke, Berkeley, D. Hume, Diderot or Voltaire stated the significance of the rational, positive spirit. In their opinion, human knowledge is empirical, based on the perception of the senses, hence its subjectivity and limits. Order was another first-rate value in the Augustan hierarchy. It was associated with thoughtful conduct, efficiency instead of complexity, scientific discoveries, acquiring connotations such as unity, harmony, precision, and clarity.

On the literary scene, the most influential genre that developed during the period was the novel. It was influenced by similar developments on the continent, among which Cervantes's Don Quixote, which was translated in 1700, the writings of Rabelais, or of Lesage, particularly Gil Blas. The ordinary man became the norm, consisting of a variety of individuals, such as the energetic merchant, the country gentleman directing his farms or estates, the lady in her social calls, the doctor, the lawyer, soldier, servant, labourer, in their occupations, the traveller observing life at home and abroad, and the writer including all these as his public and characters. Economic specialization provided a particular kind of audience - the lower and middle classes saw their lives and interests represented with a sympathy and seriousness that had hitherto been accorded only to their betters on the social scale. As A. Sanders has shown in his Short Oxford History of English Literature, the new style emphasized for the most part the everyday experience of men and women in society.

Enlightenment philosophy required a simple, unequivocal instrument of expression, making use of a plain, native language to record experiments and conclusions. No rhetoric, exuberant prose was permitted to obscure common sense, as writers (such as D. Defoe) wanted to communicate their ideas without aiming at a literary distinction. As Ian Watt also shows in his study The Rise of the Novel, the appearance of writers such as D. Defoe, S. Richardson, H. Fielding within a single generation was probably due to the favourable conditions of the time. 18th century literary historians have seen realism as the defining characteristic which differentiates their work from previous fiction (the term was apparently used as an aesthetic description in 1835 to denote the "vérité humaine" of Rembrandt as opposed to "idéalité poétique"). Primarily used as the antonym of "idealism", the term would trace down all possible continuity to earlier works that portrayed low life and where the economic and social motives were given a lot of space in the presentation of human behaviour. Fiction is not a new invention; there are a great number of Middle Age prose stories, of Renaissance romances, allegories, character-studies or picaresque tales. Yet, fiction's relation to life was peripheral, a mere idealization or satire.

Defoe and Richardson are the first great writers in English literature who did not take their plots from mythology, history, legend or previous literature. In this respect, they differ from Chaucer, Spenser, and Shakespeare who used traditional plots. However, besides the plot, much else had to be changed in the tradition of fiction: the actors in the plot and the scene of their actions had to be placed in a new literary perspective. The plot had to be acted in particular circumstances, rather than as had been common in the past - by general human types against a background determined by the appropriate literary convention. The novel is distinguished from other genres by the amount of attention it generally allots both to the individualisation of its characters and to the presentation of their environment. It is also related to the epistemological status of proper names as the expression of a particular identity (medieval or Renaissance writers preferred either historical or type names).

The principle of individuation accepted by Locke was that of existence in space and time; Northrop Frye has seen "time and Western man" as the defining characteristic of the novel compared with other genres. Philosophical and literary innovations must be seen as resulting in "a circumstantial view of life", a feature of the new prose. The narrative method that embodies this view is called formal realism, the premise that it is an authentic report of human experience, giving its readers details concerning the individuality of actors, particulars of their actions, through a more referential use of language than is common in other literary forms. The difference to earlier fiction consists in the fact that such passages were relatively rare, while the plot was traditional and highly improbable.

2.Pick a novelist/poet/dramatist of your choice from those belonging to this literary age and discuss whether or not their works and views can be relevant for our times.

William Shakespeare belongs to 16th century English literature. He was born in 23rd April, 1564 and he dominated the Elizabethan literature. He was considered a genius playwright as well as poet in English literature. He cannot get proper education. He has written round about 36 play and 154 sonnets. He has deal with motifs of life like birth, death, marriage, religion, love in his plays and poems. His plays are written in verse and so they are identified as poetic plays. This plays are classified under four categories according to dramatic type. They are Tragedy, Comedy, Tragicomedy and History plays.

Shakespeare has used metaphorical language while writing plays. He has exhaustively used all the poetic devises in his plays. He has immortalized his characters by giving them universal touch. Shake pear soon turned to the stage, and become first an actor, and then playwright. In 1592 he was well known as a successful author. His play can broadly be put under seven groups.

(1) The early Comedies: The early comedies or Shakespeare the comedy of manner , love’s labor’s lost and other comedies are immature plays of Shakespeare , which put him height of success in his dramatic career .The character of these plays are less finished finished and marked with artistic lapses in character portrayal.

(2) The English histories: the history plays like Richard-2, Henry -4, part-1 and Henary-5 king john and many other. In this historical plays Shakespeare presents British history of three hundred years and create a nice picture of English Kings. This historical plays gives a guides of kings of England, and there life style. In these plays we witness a rapid maturing of Shakespeare’s skill in plot construction and characterization.

The mature comedies of Shakespeare are ‘much ado about nothing’, ‘as you like it’ and many other. In these comedies we found the flower of Shakespeare comic genius. These plays are full of vitality and vivacity marked with relief from the strain of tragedy writing. Shakespeare comedies have been classified under four part 1) Romantic comedies 2) comedies free form romanticism 3) lighter comedies 4) dark comedies. Another classification of Shakespearean comedies is 1) Early comedies 2) Middle comedies 3) late comedies.

In early comedies comic quality arises from the language in the dialogue, and speeches. The comic situations and comic characters are the essence of the comedy. His humor is many sided. Referring to his multifold humor Dowden says : Shakespeare abounds in kindly mirth : he receive an exquisite pleasure from the alert with and bright good sense of a Rosalind, he can handle a fool as tenderly as any nurse qualified to take a baby from birth can deal with her charge.”

(3) The Somber plays: In this group are all well that ends well, measure for measure and Troilus and Cressida. The reflected cynical disillusioned attitude to life, and a fondness for objectionable desire to expose the falsity of romance and to show the sordid reality of life.

(4) The Great Tragedies: the great tragedies of Shakespeare are Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet. A tragedy is a tale of death or suffering, shake spear’s tragedies are also powerful tales of death and suffering, but Shakespearean tragedy is a something more than the story of death and suffering. The suffering is of such a powerful nature that it shakes the man and the hero writhes in the coils of insufferable agony. Hamlet in the state of his vacillation is literally on the rack. In the tragedy fate plays an important part in bringing about the tragedy. But in shake spear spit of external’s tragedy man is responsible for his tragic fall. In other word he believes in “character is destiny.” In each of his tragedy the hero catch in some fatal fall, and bed luck, which in spite of external circumstances lead him to his tragic doom.

In Hamlet there is painful consciousness that duty is being neglected. Each hero has virtues above the average man, but it is not necessary that the hero may have virtues alone.

(5) The roman plays: “are based on North’s tradition of Plutarch’s lives and though written at fairly wide intervals. Usually considered as a group. Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus follow the great period and while the former in soaring imagination and tragic power is truly great, both of them show some relation of tragic intensity” (Albert)

(6) The last play –romans: the last play of Shakespeare Cymbeline. The winter’s tale and The Tempest, The mellowed maturity is the chief feature of forgiveness and reconciliation. The name ‘Dramatic romances’ applies very aptly to these plays for nether they are not tragedies pure and simple nor are they comedies scintillating with humor and fun. In other words in the play contain incidents are tragic but their end is happy. This play is combination of tragedy and comedy.

(7) Pleasant humor. Shakespeare creates good humor. The sparking and vivacious heroes and Orlando in ‘As you like it’. His comedies primary aim is neither satire nor a correction of the evils prevalent.

The theme of Shakespeare’s work is always fresh, in other words their freshness and their appeal is permanent in literature. We may read his dramas for the hundred times yet it can give same pleaser, when we read it first time.

Dryden says that “was the man who of all modern and perhaps ancient poets had the largest and most comprehensive soul.” Shakespeare has, too the gift of universality, which alone gives permanence to literature. His characters recur in everygenration; they remain individuals, but yet they are types nor are his comedies all laughter, being true of life, they are

Full of mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage.” The characters of Shakespeare have a permanent hold on the human mind. We have read novels and dramas and have read hundreds of character both male and female, but no one hold of gripes our attention as the character create image in our mind. Shakespeare’s characters do not lose their individuality. Another feature of his characterization is his objectivity.

We admire humanity in his drama. He loves human being and has an infinite feeling of sympathy for his creation. We like Shakespeare because he likes us. Shakespeare has praised human being and human life. The beautiful lines on man presented in Hamlet, man in this work: “What a piece of work is man? How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties in form and moving, how expressive and admirable in action, how like an angel in apprehension, how like a god, the beauty of the world. The paragon of animals. He touches the human heart and moves us to pity and sympathy. We appreciate Shakespeare for his admirable treatment of subject of love. Shakespeare presents variety of love in his plays. The element of romance makes his dramas highly interesting. In other words love keeps the interest of his plays. His fertile imagination is present everywhere in his plays. His language is grand and majestic. Shakespeare use extra ordinary language

Conclusion

Shakespeare was versatile genius. He creates great tragedies and many other plays. He also wrote sonnets. I think that when he write drama he use his heart for drama. He was not for one age but for all ages. Shakespeare was universal poet and dramatist. He creates best characters in his plays. All kind of characters we find in his drama. I think almost his plays are best work of Shakespeare, that’s why he was genius dramatist of Elizabethan era.

3.Satire was the dominant form of writing employed by both the poets and prose writers of this age. Discuss at least one major satirical text (either prose or poetry) belonging to this age. How was this text significant socio-politically significant for this age?

  Satiric Poets and Writers:

 John Oldham - [1653-1683]     

John Oldham old written to whose memory Dryden wrote a noble ode and satirist designated by scoot as “the English Juvenal”.

Samuel Butler :-[1612-1680]

Samuel Butler, satiric poet, son of a Worcestershire farmer, educated at the king’s school Worcester gentleman servant to Elizabethan, countess of Kent at Wrest Park (1919). Money obtained by marriage to Mrs. Herbert soon lost secretary, during lifetime to several country squires including sir Samuel lake, a rigid Presbyterian who may have been the probably the butt in “a duke of bucks” in characters. Although granted an annual pension of one hundred pounds (1678), yet in said to have died in obscure penury and to have been buried at the expense of William Langueville.

 Alexander Pope:- [1688-1744]

- He wrote one of the famous satirical Epic-poem. He was a famous Essayist, critical and also a poet.

- His work like ‘The Rape of the lock’, verses to the memory of an unfortunate Lady (1717) and dunciad are (1728) noteworthy.

- His essays are also written in verse form and are as beautiful as his poems. His first book can be considered as a longer philosophical poem.

- An essay on criticism is a kind of rhyming verse known as heroic couplets. It first appeared in 1711, yet written in 1709.

- The ‘Rope of the hock’ is a beautiful heroic narrative poem. It was first published in two cantos and later another three cantos added to the previous ones.

- The last canto was available only in 1717 with the addition of the moral speech of Charisa.

- This poem satirizes a minor actual incident pope satirizes the beauty conscious and hypocrite contemporary society of his country. Belinda the heroine is shown elegant. She is a beauty that is fragile. She loses a lock a hair which touches her deeply.

- His another poem Eloisa to Abelard is inspired by the 12th century’s illicit love and secret marriage.

- Pannell, Tickell and Philips can be considered minor poets with one or two noteworthy verses.

- Pope’s Essay is regarded, in poets as true genius is but rare, True Taste as seldom is the critic’s share.

John Dryden :- [1631-1700]

- “Every age has a kind a universal Genius and perhaps in no poet are his own world more truly verified than are these of John Dryden. “

- He was born in 1631, in the little village of Aldwinkle in Noprthamptonshire; John was the same of its rector. His works are, “Absalom and Achitophel ” “Ode to st. Cecilia’s Day “ “ Alexander’s Feast “ (1647) “ Annus Mirabills (1667) “

- Annus mirabilis was his first poem.

He also wrote the critical essay on Dramatic poesy. It’s a prose work.

“The Hind and the Panther, a Defense of the Roman Church “. (1687) which if it accorded the poet same fane. It is certain he received no pecuniary gain from its publication.

My reference sources are:

http://bhumivajani062013.blogspot.com/2012/10/write-about-major-neo-classical-poets.html?m=1

https://comradeaijaz185.medium.com/shakespeare-as-a-dramatist-fdf93dcfb793

https://literaryvista.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-rise-of-novel-social-and-literary.html?m=1

Thank you..