Civil war (1642-1648) and the English Bourgeois Revolution

1. Literature of the 17th c. John Milton. “Paradise Lost”. “Paradise Regained”
The peculiarities of the English literature of the 17th century are determined by the events of this period: class contradictions which lead to the civil war (1642-1648) and the English Bourgeois Revolution (1640-1660)
1. The ideology of the English Bourgeoisie was a puritanical religion and calvinism. The struggle between the puritans against the British monarchy and official church. The puritans wanted to create a new church, relying on the work of a French preacher Jan Calvin. They influenced the life in England greatly. Even theatres were closed at that time.
2. The civil war ended in 1649 with the creation of the bourgeois republic; King Charles I was beheaded in 1649 and Oliver Cromwell became the leader of the new government. The establishment of new social and economic relations, feudal property replaced by the bourgeois, the worsening of class relations – had the reflection in the literature and determined the political and revolutionary direction of the English writers’ works.
3. 70-80 classicism: cult of antiquity; subjection of emotions to reason and feelings to duty; imitation of the past models of excellence; briefness; elegance; clarity; aiming at combining pleasure with instruction
John Milton (1608 -1674)
He was born in London and educated at Christ's College, Cambridge, after the university studied at home in Horton, Buckinghamshire. At the age of 23 he got blind. When worked at Cromwell’s government as a consultant, during the 2nd civil war (1648-1651) he worked hard at his pamphlets and became a minister of government; by 1651 he was totally blind. During the war he supported republic and was against monarchy. After the restoration of Monarchy he was condemned to death penalty, but escaped from it - he died in 1674 in poverty as he was not in favour after the restoration of monarchy.
Works may be divided into 3 periods. At first he wrote his short poems at Horton. Then he wrote sonnets and pamphlets. His 3 greatest poems belong to his last group (Paradises+ tragedy “Samson Agonistes”). This great epic poem, "Paradise Lost" was planned in ten books, but written in twelve. It reflects his personal despair at the failure of the Revolution, yet affirms an ultimate optimism in human potential. The scene is the whole universe including Heaven&Hell. The poem is written in a splendid block verse&contains hundreds of remarkable thoughts put into musical verse. Milton's other great poem, "Paradise Regained" (published in 1671), is more severe and less splendid than "Paradise Lost".