Literary+Movements17

=Literary Movements of the Early 17th Century=

The early 1600's provided the foundation for English literature. The Renaissance was a time of innovation and creativity in many fields, but especially in literature. This era witnessed the emergence of the greatest writers in history, including William Shakespeare.

The three main literary categories of this time period (1600-1660) were Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline.



The Elizabethan era lasted from 1558 to 1603, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth l. It can be recognized by the new creativity and energy present in literary works. This feeling was derived from the extensive scientific and philosophical progress of the Renaissance. Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) was influential early in this period because he created pastoral verse, in which he expressed sentimental thoughts toward rural life. His most notable work is a collection of poems called //The Faery Queen//. His poetry established a style of old-fashioned, wordy language that other writers emulated.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is the most famous writer of this period. He was a poet but also joined the trend of writing dramatic pieces. His plays, such as __Romeo and Juliet__ and __Hamlet__, are still interpreted and performed today. Shakespeare invented the English sonnet, which was made by altering the earlier Italian (or Petrarchan) sonnet format. This type of poetry became a fixture in English literature. Shakespeare mostly wrote about nature and love, including figurative language and many allusions in his work. His collection of sonnets is entitled //The Sonnets//.

John Donne (1572-1631) led the metaphysical poets. His early poetry books include //Satires// and //Songs and Sonnets//. Donne had a somewhat fortunate youth but experienced many tragedies later in life (most importantly the death of Anne, his wife). His work become more serious and dark, such as his //Holy Sonnets//. Metaphysical poets as a whole are described as having elaborate linguistic schemes and experimenting with words. They also utilize literary devices (especially paradox) and rhetoric. Donne and another poet named Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) wrote mostly humorous, serious poems. Conversely, George Herbert (1593-1633) wrote about religion. Richard Crashaw (1613-1649) is also classified as a metaphysical poet. The metaphysical poets influenced the Cavalier poets.

The Jacobean era was the period of King James l's rule, following the death of Shakespeare. The most critical figure of the time was Ben Jonson (1572-1637), who wrote satirically and focused on language. His mindset was in the middle ages; he relied heavily on the concept of the four humors (phlegm, blood, black/yellow bile) to classify different types of people and their relation to the natural world. This is exemplified in his play, __Every Man in His Humour__. Jonson wrote masques (dramatic representations centered around music and costumes) to entertain King James l's court; he was made Court Poet around 1605. Jonson inspired the Cavalier poets, which was a group of his followers. These included Thomas Carew, Richard Lovelace, Sir John Suckling, and Robert Herrick.These poets developed a style similar to Jonson's.

The Caroline era comprises the mid-17th century, partially during the reign of Charles l. Political issues of the time led to literature on political subjects. John Milton is an example of this trend. He published poems (such as "On Shakespeare") and masques (//Comus//) early in his career. His most well-known work is //Paradise Lost//, an epic poem in a twelve-book series published in 1667. It chronicles the conflict between man and god as it relates to the story of Adam and Eve.

Women writers began to gain more prominence in the early 17th century. Notable poets of the time include Katherine Philips, Dorothy Osborne, Aemilia Lanyer, and Lady Anne Halkett.

For more information on literary movements of the early 17th century:

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/englit_1/17th_century.htm

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/17century/welcome.htm

http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2749