Introduction to Metaphysical Poetry - Welcome to...
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Transcript of Introduction to Metaphysical Poetry - Welcome to...
Charles I and Parliament
• The struggle between King Charles I and Parliament had existed during the reign of James I
• Both believed strongly in the “divine right of kings”
• Money and religion were the biggest issues • Charles locked the door of Parliament for 11
years
The English Civil War
• Charles tried to arrest five members of Parliament
• Civil war broke out in 1642 between the Parliamentary forces and the Royalists (Cavaliers)
• Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary forces defeated the royalists in 1645
• Charles I was beheaded in 1649
The Restoration
• Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector from 1653 to 1658
• The monarchy was restored when Parliament offered the crown to Charles II
• His successor was his brother James II, a devout Catholic
The Glorious Revolution
• Religious differences between Parliament and James II
• Parliament invited James’s daughter Mary to rule with her husband William of Orange
• James went into exile but did not go to war • Called “Glorious” because no blood was
shed
What is Metaphysical Poetry?
• Term coined by Dr. Samuel Johnson • Describes the philosophical, or
metaphysical, and intellectual approaches to poetry
• Characterized by metaphysical conceits and paradoxes
Metaphysical Conceits
• Extended comparisons • Links unlikely elements • Mixes the abstract and the emotional • Ex: linking a flea to a love relationship
Paradoxes
• Images that appear self-contradictory but that reveal a deeper truth
• Ex: “Fair is foul and foul is fair” - Shakespeare • Ex: “The paradox of our time in history is that we
have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.” - Dr. Bob Moorehead
Syllogism
• Logical argument • Made up of major premise(general), minor
premise(specific), and conclusion Ex: All humans are mortal (major premise) I am a human (minor premise) I am mortal (conclusion)