This blog is part of an assignment for the paper 105 - History of English Literature , Sem - 1, 2022
PERSONAL INFORMATION:-
Name:- Bhavyata Dhirajbhai Kukadiya
Batch:- M.A. Sem 1 (2022-2024)
Enrollment Number:- 4069206420220018
E-mail Address:- bhavyatakukadiya@gmail.com
Roll Number:- 5
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS:-
Topic:- Puritan Age
Paper & subject code:- 105 & 22396
Submitted to:- Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, MKBU, Bhavnagar
Date of Submission:- 7th November, 2022
Puritan Age(1620-1660)
Introduction
Historical Background
General Characteristics of the Puritan Age
Literature of the Puritan Age
Literature Themes of the Puritan Age
Writing Style of Puritan Age
Major Writers of the Puritan Age
Introduction:
The period between 1625 and 1675 is known as the "Puritan Age (or John Milton's Age)", because during the period, Puritan standards prevailed in England, and also because the greatest literary figure John Milton (1608-1674) was a Puritan. The Puritans struggled for righteousness and liberty.
Puritanism became a great national movement which included English Churchmen as well as extreme Separatists. While the Catholic Church had always held true to the ideal of the united church, the possibility of the ideal of a purely national Protestantism grew.
Historical Background of the Puritan Age:
The Puritan age is named after the rise of the Puritan movement in England in the 17th
century. Puritans, were a group of English speaking Protestants who were dissatisfied with
the religious reformation movement carried out during the reign of queen Elizabeth. They
wanted a complete purification of Church of England and removal of practices such as
hierarchical leadership, clerical vestments and various rituals of the church, which were
associated with Rome. They stood for what they believed was pure Christianity (hence, the
name Puritan).
The Puritans emerged as a strong political force during the English Civil War (1642-1651).
The English Civil war was a series of conflicts between Charles I and his supporters called
the Cavaliers on the one hand and the Parliamentarians or the Roundheads on the other hand.
The Roundheads mainly comprised the Puritan middle classes. The war ended in 1651 with
the victory of the Parliamentarians. Charles I was executed while his son, Charles II fled to
France. Any hopes of monarchy were demolished and the monarchical rule was replaced first
General Characteristics of the Age:
Civil War:
The entire period was dominated by the civil war, which divided the people into two factions, one loyal to the King and the other opposed to him. English people had remained one and united and loyal to the sovereign. The crisis began when James I, who had recoined the right of royalty from an Act of Parliament, gave too much premium to the Divine Right and began to ignore Parliament which had created him. The Puritans, who had become a potent force in the social life of the age, heralded the movement for constitutional reforms. The hostilities, which began in 1642, lasted till the execution of Charles I in 1649. There was little political stability during the interregnum of eleven years which followed. These turbulent years saw the establishment of the Commonwealth, the rise of Oliver Cromwell, the confusion which followed upon his death, and, finally, the restoration of monarchy in 1660.
The Puritan Movement:
The Renaissance, which exercised immense influence on Elizabethan literature, was essentially pagan and sensuous. It did not concern the moral nature of man, and it brought little relief from the despotism of rulers. "The Puritan movement," says W. J. Long, "may be regarded as a second and greater Renaissance, a rebirth of the moral nature of man following the intellectual awakening of Europe in the fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries." In Germany and England the Renaissance was accompanied by a moral awakening, "that greatest moral and political reform which ever swept 'over a nation in the short space of half a century", which is meant by the Puritan movement. Puritanism had two chief objects: the first was personal righteousness; the second was civil and personal liberty. In other words, it aimed to make men honest and to make them free.
"Though the spirit of the Puritan movement was profoundly religious, the Puritans were not a religious sect; neither was the Puritan a narrow-minded and gloomy dogmatist, as he is still pictured in the histories." Hampden, Eliot, Milton, Hooker and Cromwell were Puritans.
From a religious viewpoint Puritanism included all shades of belief. In course of time "Puritanism became a great national movement. It included English Churchmen as well as extreme Separatists, Calvinists, Covenanters, Catholic noblemen,— all bound together in resistance to despotism in Church and State, and with a passion for liberty and righteousness such as the world has never since seen," says W. J. Long.
During the Puritan rule of Cromwell severe laws were passed, simple pleasures were forbidden, theatres were closed, and an austere standard of living was forced upon unwilling people. So there was rebellion against Puritanism, which ended with the Restoration of King Charles ll.
Literature of the Puritan Age:
Puritan literature is a genre created by the Puritans, a religious movement which fought to remove the remnants of the Catholic Church from the Church of England. This led to conflict in England and to the founding of several colonies in the Americas, including settlements in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and other parts of New England. The movement began in 1530 and lasted well into the 17th century.
Religion was the central tenet of Puritan life. The movement began as a way to reform the Church of England, and its practitioners believed in creating a covenant with God and being humble. Their communities were governed by religious doctrine, a concept which clashed with the emerging modernity of science and reason. For example, during the Salem Witch Trials, a famous Puritan and author named Cotton Mather urged the court to not simply accept hearsay as evidence for the charge of witchcraft and instead rely on hard evidence.
Puritan literature is the result of this movement and lifestyle. Much of it is in the form of letters and journals written by Puritans regarding their experiences. Puritan writing is primarily made up of sermons, poetry, and historical narratives, but Puritan writers created very little fiction. Much like their lifestyles, Puritans used simple, straightforward sentences when writing.
Literature Themes of Puritan Age:
The common themes include religious and political idealism. There is also an insistence on practicality and pragmatism of day to day life.
The religious discourse emphasizes the concept of predestination and inevitability of sin and a strong sense of guilt and shame.
There is heavy usage of symbolism, especially, from religious scripture.
The age is known for the heavy influence of Biblical text, for example, Old Testament and books like the book of Jeremiah.
The genre, known as ‘Jeremiads’, was split into three sections.
The first extolled the faith of the past generations, the second denigrated the sins of the present age and the third make appeals for repentance and contrition.
There was an influence of natural phenomena like earthquakes, fires, floods etc as the people of the age were interested in learning about nature and the signs for God’s design in nature.
Other thematic works included the idea of reformation or regeneration. Unity and free choice and order were also topical manifestations.
The concept of struggle between the World and spirituality was also explored.
As most families visited the Church and attended religious sermons, the writing itself reflects the Biblical style of construction. There was also demonisation of the native Indians who were described as followers of Satanism.
Writing Style of Puritan Age:
The writing style of the Puritan Age was predominantly plain with simple sentences and language. Metaphorical constructions were in limited use and excessive ornamentation or dramatic appeals were discouraged.
Symbolism from scripture was used to make the sermons etc impactful. The main motive was to tell the truth of God's existence in a commonly understandable form. Therefore, the use of Greek mythology or forms of classical literature was avoided.
Use of fictional elements was limited to the extent of blasphemy. Puritans believed that literature should not be used for entertainment. It must be used in the service of religious discourse.
Puritan writers like Anne Bradstreet and John Winthrop wrote extensively about spirituality. They shared their own spiritual journeys. The aim was to popularize the Puritan beliefs and impose their vision on a new social order. They wanted to motivate by creating an illusion to that ideal society.
Church Sermon Style:
Many Puritan writings of the 17th and 18th century were transcripts of sermons, and those that weren't were written in a style very similar to that of a preacher giving a sermon. Puritan writers considered it their mission to glorify God in their writing and reveal the decay of godliness occurring around them.
Purposiveness
Puritan writers wrote to find spiritual meaning in the events of their lives and their relationship with God. Their writing style, therefore, often tends toward the introspective and spiritual as they engage in deep self-searching and metaphysical reasoning. A tenet of Puritanism was that an individual must search out and identify their own sins before they can be absolved of them. Puritan writing often consists of this type of self-analysis.
Plain Prose Style
Puritan writings are characterized by a simplicity of form, avoiding complex syntax and verbiage in favor of direct, clear speech. Bradford believed that a plain prose style was essential to preserve the simple truths at the heart of his writing.
Focus on History
Puritan writing focused heavily on questions of historical fact. A major Puritan tenet was the concept of decay -- that in the historical past, people had a stronger connection to God and religion, a connection that has been weakening over time with modern temptations. The function of many Puritan writings was to awaken people to the severity of this historical change and motivate them to change.
Among these works, there is Winthrop’s “Model of Christian Charity,” which was actually a sermon and used the popular metaphor “City Upon a Hill” in Abella Covenant. It is still referenced by many American politicians.
Major Writers of Puritan Age:
Puritan authors preferred to write in first person and in as plain a style as possible. While they believed in sharing their experiences and beliefs, they also wanted to avoid drawing unwanted attention to themselves, hence the simple style which contrasted the more elaborate style popular in Europe. Writing was a major part of their lives, and even simple letters were treated as though they were instructive. Puritans did not believe literature was meant for entertainment.
Major Puritan writers produced works that have also become major works appreciated as literature and not just religious writings. This, of course, is highly ironic, as the idea of famous Puritans is antithetical for the concept of not drawing attention to oneself .
Cotton Mather:
Mather was a writer and minister in Massachusetts who combined both a belief in old superstitions like witchcraft and a belief in more modern ideas like vaccinations. After overcoming a speech impediment, he joined the clergy. He wrote more than 400 works, including Magnalia Christi Americana in 1702, ''an ecclesiastical history of America''. He also wrote works justifying slavery and instructing masters on how convert their slaves, such as The Negro Christianized in 1706.
Anne Bradstreet:
Bradstreet is widely considered the first American poet and was the first woman published in both America and England. Despite having no formal education, she was drawn to poetry and created works which were widely praised, including by Cotton Mather. Her collection of poetry, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, was published with corrections in 1678 and contained unpublished poems which covered her illnesses, love letters to her husband, and her fears of dying in childbirth. The book proved popular enough that King George III had a copy in his library.
John Dryden:
A poet during the English Restoration, Dryden wrote a poem to eulogize Oliver Cromwell entitled ''Heroique Stanzas'' in 1658. In later years, he would write satires of fellow poets and politicians. Despite writing fiction and plays, his works still had many of the themes of Puritanism, and he was himself a proponent of many Puritan causes, such as reforming the Church of England.
John Milton:
Milton is often considered not just a Puritan poet, but one of the greatest English poets of all time. His works espouse Puritanical views, and his 1667 ''magnum opus'', Paradise Lost, showed his optimism in humanity despite the failure of the Puritan Revolution.
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