Thinking activity

Thinking Activity

(The Background reading: 

The Renaissance literature)

This blog is response to thinking activity assigned by Dr.Dilip Barad sir.
1.Write in brief about Edmund Spencer or Ben Jonson or Francis Bacon or on any one of their works.
2.Comparision & Contrast characteristics of renaissance age with any other age.

(1)Edmund Spenser
(1552-1599)

Edmund Spenser, Poet's poet, non-dramatic poet, busy man of affairs who uses natural characters or his ideas and beauty of expression in his verse and rich malody makes him one of the most prominent figure of Elizabethan age.

So, lets discuss about non-dramatic poet - Edmund Spenser & lets have a look upon his major works.

three great influence upon Spenser's writing

1.Cambridge Where he familiarize with classic and the Italian poets

2.London Where he experienced the glamour and the disappointment of court life

3.Ireland Which steeped him in the beauty and imagery of old celtic poetry

Poetical form of Spenser's poetry

• Invented a new form known as Spenserian stanza
• rhyming style: ababbcbcc
• Nine lines, eight of five feet each and the last of six feet

Characteristics of Spenser's poetry

1.a splendid imagination 2.a rare sense of beautt 3.a splendid imagination 4.the throwing ideals of renaissance 5.a lofty moral purity and seriousness 6.a delicate idealism

Works of Spenser
1.	Faery Queen gave name & fame to Spenser Spenser's masterpiece Spenser have plan of including 24 books but completed only six parts supposed unfinished parts were burned in the caste each part recount the adventure and triumph of a knight(knight represent moral value) Purly allegorical represents struggle between good & evil  first three parts were published in 1590, firstthree parts were republished in 1596 together with Book- lV-V-V Six parts of Faery Queen 1 Holiness 2 Temperance 3 Chastity 4 Friendship 5 Justice 6 Courtesy
2.	Shepherd's Calender(1579) Spenser's first work Next to his masterpiece Consists twelve pastrol poems, ecologues Speakers are shepherds & shepherdesses Describes nature love in the fields
Other noteworthy poems
1.	Mother Hubbard's Tale(1591) Satire on society
2.	Astrophel(1595) an elegy on the death of his friend sir.Philip Sidney
3	Amoretti(1595) to his beloved Elizabeth(an Irish girl)
4	Epithalamion(1595) The marriage hymn
5	Hymns On heavenly love & heavenly beauty

Death of Spenser

• in an inn at Westminster
• many critics and writers have given reason of his death but whether because of controversy or actually died of destitution will probably be never known
• buried beside his master Chaucer in Westminster

(2)Comparision & Contrast between Renaissance and Romanitic period

Literature of any age throws flashes on history or historical background of the age. One age effects and affects to other ages. One can find  some similarities in two different ages whereas some extend contrast also be found. Historically periods are very potential & important in giving descriptions & evaluation about past and present events. Here, we are discussing about Renaissance age & Romantic age.

Renaissance period was nearly between 15th and late 17th century. In comparision with Renaissance, Romantic era is quite shorter period nearly around late 18th century to mid 19th century.vGenerally, there seems to be a similarity between this two age, but looking at the small details and the literature suggests that the basic roots and central ideas of the two are quite different. Literature of any period gives clear idea about the age and historical background of any age. First, let's look at the general characterizations of Romanticism and Renaissance & later on literary characteristics to have clear idea about both the ages.

General characteristics
Renaissance period	Romantic period
interest in the classical thought of the Greeks and Romans.	Individuality/Democracy/Personal Freedom
The embracing of Humanism	Spiritual/Supernatural Elements
The commercial revolution	Nature as a Teacher
particular in its preoccupation with religion and the place of man in relationship with God.	Interest in Past History/Ancient Greek and Roman Elements
Age of Classicism	Celebration of the Simple Life /the Rustic/Pastoral Life
Classic & stunning across the world	Interest in Folk Traditions Use of Common Language/ Common Subjects
	One Sided/Opinionated
	Frequent Use of Personification
	Examination of the Poet's Inner Feelings
Literary characteristics
Renaissance period	Romantic period
Enthusiasm	Romantic enthusiasm
An Age of Drama	An Age of poetry
Religious Tolerance	Woman as Novelist
Social Contentment	The Modern Magazines
Major English Renaissance authors Christopher Marlowe William Shakespeare John Donne Francis Bacon George Chapman Edmund Spenser William Tyndale	Major English romantic writers William Wordsworth Samuel Taylor Coleridge John Keats Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley

From the table above it can be said that,during the renaissance arts and other cultural systems were flourished was still largely reasonable while romanticism focused more on emotions, intution and a wild, ferel relationship with the natural world. Thus, both took place because of changing desire to  a new way of thinking yet they were caused by different arrangement of various events.



Reference:
ENGLISH LITERATURE
William J. Long