The Carolina and Restoration Ages for BA-I
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E.content — English Literature B.N College P.U Class – B.A part l Topic – History of English Literature The Carolina and Restoration Ages After the glorious and glamorous period of Queen Elizabeth, there came a sharp decline in every field of national life. The spirit of Renaissance, the craze for learning, the spirit for daring voyages for the discovery of new lands, and the solidarity of England which had all touched the high water mark during the Elizabethan Age started declining like spent up forces. Many forces of social and political upheavals joined together to weaken and disintegrate the nation. During the reign of Charles l (1625–1649) there occurred the devastating Civil War between the Royalists and the parliamentarians, which ended in the execution of King Charles l in 1649 and establishment of the Commonwealth under Cromwell (1649–1660). After the death of Cromwell, King Charles ll was restored to the throne of England. Charles ll had returned from France where he had lived during the regime of the Commonwealth. Therefore he had brought from the French Court foppish manners, outlandish fashions and deplorably low moral values. All these low socio–cultural and moral values were readily adopted by the English Court and nobility, and in course of time they were adopted by the whole country. These low social, cultural and moral values and manners are realistically depicted by Congreve, Wycherley, Vanbrugh, Etheredge, and Farquhar in their comedies of Manners written in this period. Thus it was a period of greatest socio-political and religious upheavals in the history of England. Major Authors and Their Works of the Caroline and Restoration Ages Robert Herrick ( 1591–1674 ) Noble Numbers Hesperids Sir John Suckling ( 1600 – 1642 ) ' Ballad upon a Wedding' ' Why so pale and wan, Fond lover ? Richard Lovelace ( 1618 – 1658 ) 'To Althia from prison' Lucasta To Lucasta going to the Wars John Dryden ( 1631 – 1700 ) (i) Heroic Stanzas on the Death of Oliver Cromwell Astraea Redux ( on the Restoration of Charles ll ) Absalom and Achitophel The Hind and the Panther Mac Flecknoe An Essay of Dramatic poesy (ii) Dryden's Plays All for love The Indian Emperor Aureng–Zeb William Wycherley ( 1640 – 1716 ) Love in Wood The plain Dealer The Country Wife William Congreve ( 1670 – 1729 ) The way of the World The Old Bachelor The Double Dealer John Vanbrugh ( 1664 – 1726 ) The Relapse The Provoked Wife The Confederacy George Farquhar ( 1678 –1707 ) The Recruiting Officer The Beaux Stratagem George Etheredge ( 1635 – 1691 ) The Comical Revenge She Would if She Could The Man of Mode John Evelyn ( 1620 – 1706 ) Diary Samuel pepys ( 1633 – 1703 ) Diary By — Dr. Amar Jyoti Ranjan Asst. prof. ( Guest Faculty ) Dept. Of English.