The Twentieth Century I: The Early Decades PART II--Blamires

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers—

Approaches--Unit III

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Syllabus for Unit III
The Romantic Age (Blamires, pp 217-380)
The Victorian Age
The Twentieth Century I: The Early Decades
The Twentieth Century II: Post-war Developments

The Twentieth Century: The Early Decades

PART II

[the study  material is in two parts]

Academic Criticism

George Saintsbury,  Herbert Grierson,  A. E. Housman, A.C. Bradley, E. K. Chambers and W.P.Ker

Most of the critics of the early twentieth century were creative writers. None of them except Ford held academic positions or were involved in the teaching of English Literature.

However a group of critics who were mainly teachers of literature dominated the academic arena. Students of literature turned towards them for critical help. The average student was more indebted to them than to James or Yeats, Ford or Eliot. These critics kept alive the tradition of narrative criticism in which writers were historically placed, their works explored and their personalities explored. These critics  were known as academic critics. They are George Saintsbury,  Herbert Grierson,  A. E. Housman, A.C. Bradley, E. K. Chambers and W.P.Ker.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE 17th CENTURY, Unit II The Seventeenth Century II: Rymer to Dennis–Blamiers

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE 17^th CENTURY –Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers—

Approaches--Unit II

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Unit II The Seventeenth Century II: Rymer to Dennis

The public who came to witness the Restoration Dramas were very different from those who went to the Globe to see the plays of Shakespeare. The Restoration theatre provided amusement for a leisured and degenerate society. Puritans shunned it. Respectable Londoners seldom visited it.

Unit II The Seventeenth Century I: Peacham, Drayton, Reynolds, Milton (Blamires, pp. 68-216)

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers— Approaches--Unit II,

Unit II 

The Seventeenth Century I: Peacham, Drayton, Reynolds, Milton (Blamires, pp. 68-216)

The Seventeenth Century II: Rymer to Dennis

The Eighteenth Century I: The Age of Addison and Pope

The Eighteenth Century II: Johnson and his Successors

Unit II The Seventeenth Century I: Peacham, Drayton Reynolds, Milton.

The seventeenth century was a turbulent period in the political as well as literary history of England. The Civil War of 1642-51, the execution of Charles I in 1649, the Commonwealth government and the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell created disorder and confusion in society so much so that quiet reflection on works of literature was nearly impossible.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE, PART V—Bacon & Jonson

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE –Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers—

Approaches--Unit I

The RENAISSANCE V

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Note: The summary is in FIVE parts

PART V—Bacon & Jonson

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

In the second book of The Advancement of Learning Bacon attempts a systematic study of various branches of learning.

·        Bacon argues that a man’s understanding has three parts—memory, imagination & reason.

·        History is related to memory, poetry to imagination and philosophy to reason.

·        Similarly theology consists of history, parables (Poetry) and doctrine.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE IV

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE –Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers—

Approaches--Unit I

The RENAISSANCE IV

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Note: The summary is in FIVE parts

PART IV—CLASSICAL & NATIVE VERSIFICATION

Nothing has been more unproductive in the history of English criticism than the debate about classical meters.

Conservatives tried to apply the quantitative meter of Latin language on to English verse. But Latin meter was totally inapplicable to English verse. Latin syllable ending in two consonants must be accounted ‘long’.  This was inapplicable and led to clumsiness when imposed on English verse.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE--PART III—THE DEFENCE OF POETRY——Stephen Gosson & Sir Philip Sidney

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE --Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers--

Approaches--Unit I

The RENAISSANCE III

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Note: The summary is in FIVE parts

PART III—THE DEFENCE OF POETRY——Stephen Gosson & Sir Philip Sidney

In 1579 a critical controversy developed in England—the attack on poetry and its defence—partly occasioned by the impact of the Renaissance. Poetry and drama came under attack form the Puritans for their ‘harmful’ effect on morals. The attack was led by Stephen Gosson in a treatise entitled The School of Abuse dedicated without permission to Sir Philip Sidney.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE--THE ART OF POETRY—— George Gascoigne & George Puttenham

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE --Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers--

Approaches--Unit I

The RENAISSANCE II

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Note: The summary is in FIVE parts

PART II THE ART OF POETRY—— George Gascoigne & George Puttenham

a. George Gascoigne (1534-77)

Gascoigne was a poet and dramatist. His ‘Certain Notes of Instruction Concerning the Making of Verse or Rhyme in English’ is a study of English versification. He explains the system of scansion to some extent, but adds that rolling rhythms and resonant vocabulary are not enough to write poetry.

·        There must be ‘invention’. Descriptions that are commonplace and obvious (‘crystal eye’, ‘cherry lips’) must be avoided.

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE--Blamiers

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE--Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers--Approaches--Unit I

The RENAISSANCE

BRITISH CRITICISM DURING THE RENAISSANCE

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Note: The summary is in FIVE parts

PART I

INTRODUCTION

The term ‘Renaissance’ stands for different things for different people. For the students of literature, the term signifies the rediscovery of the classics of Greece and Rome. Scholars edited, translated and commented on the classics during the Renaissance.  With the fall of Constantinople in 1453, scholars drifted to many European cities carrying the literary treasures with them.

With the Renaissance, Europe came into contact with Greek and Latin Classics. This led to an intellectual/cultural awakening in Europe.  Till the Renaissance human activity was centered in the divine scheme of creation and redemption. Classical writers had placed man in the centre of the universe and the ideals of ‘Humanism’ spread throughout Europe.

Classical styles and genres created new models of art. In this new type, poise and polish, balance and decorum became key factors.

BRITISH CRITICISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES--Blamiers

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers--Approaches--Unit I

The Middle Ages

BRITISH CRITICISM IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Summary by Dr. S. Sreekumar

Romans left Britain at the beginning of the fifth century. Subsequent invasion by the Angles and Saxons created two centuries of skirmishes, wars and other uncertainties leaving little chance for any cultural flowering. We have to wait till the 7^th century to see the establishment of order and sanity in civil life. In this century we see Ireland and England shining as the centres of Latin culture. A Benedictine Abbey was founded in 674 at Wearmouth and books were brought from Rome to the monastic library. One of the most celebrated of English scholars, Bede, spent his time in the cloisters. He was not only a Biblical scholar but also one very much interested in history and science.

Literary Criticism--Middle Ages

M. Phil English, Bharathiar University--Blamiers--Approaches--Unit I

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages

In the closing decades of the 4^th century, Roman Empire came under repeated attacks by barbarian invaders like Goths, Huns and Vandals. Rome finally fell to Alaric, king of the Visigoths in 410 A.D.

The centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance are called the Dark Ages. The Middle Ages [from 12^th century to the Renaissance] constitute a part of the Dark Ages.