Programme, English II Year PAPER IV: English Literature - 2 JOHN DRYDEN'S Mac Flecknoe Study Material : 5 & UN) AKON SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING (Campus of Open Learning) University of Delhi Department of English Prepared by : Dr. Neeta GuptaGraduate Course Paper - IV English Literature - 2 JOHN DRYDEN'S Mac Flecknoe Contents : Introducing the Eighteenth Century Dryden's Life and Works What is Satire ? A Note on the Text Mac Flecknoe : A General Comment Detailed Summary with Notes tical Extracts ct Bibliography Assignments Prepared by. Neeta Gupta SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING UNIVERSITY OF DELHI 5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-1100071.0 INTRODUCING THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY English Literature of the Eighteenth Century is well known for its excessive emphasis on logic, reason, rationality and judgement, so much so that it is often referred to asthe Age of Reason. Matters of the mind take precedence over matters of the heart and spirit. So dominant is this trend that qualities like imagination, inspiration, romanticism, emotion, often associated with creativity, become prominent by their almost total absence in literary works of this period. Literature of this age has thus ofien been criticized for being dull, tunadventurous and dry. What were the reasons behind this? Was the Eighteenth Century populated by singulary dull and boring men or were there some other contributory factors ? Moreover, was the Eighteenth Century particular in being the only Age to go to such extremes? These are some of the questions which will be taken up for discussion in this section of the Study Material Broadly speaking, one finds that literature too follows the rule of action and reaction as far as the major trends in writing are concerned. For example, upto the Elizabethan Age and the Jacobean Age to some extent, we find a steady growth in English drama, till it reaches its culmination in the hands of Shakespeare. During this period too, we find a strong manifestation of Romanticism in various areas of Literature, be it drama or poetry. But with the Caroline Age, a certain kind of decadence sets in, Drama begins to lose its stronghold and. Romanticism suffers a set back. Classicism sees an advance and the period which follows, 1649-1660, also known as the Commonwealth Interregnum, is dominated by major prose works. However, the Metaphysical Poets continue to flourish, but not for long. The highly insecure and troubled times, give rise to a feeling for stability and security. Therefore, itis as though in reaction to the fanciful and inspired flights of the Metaphysicals, and the imaginative, metaphorical expressions of the Elizabethans, people begin to place an increased emphasis oon Rationality and Reason. But in sharp reaction to this emphasis on reason were the Romantics who followed inthe Nineteenth Century. The Victorian Age however, witnessed a lessening of the Romantic spirit and by the time we reach the year 1870, there is once again an emphasis on Realism which continues till the modern Age. ‘One point which emerges from the broad overview above, is that every Age has its leanings and so the Eighteenth Century cannot be singled out in this respect. Another fact worth noting is that the ideas which dominate a particular century, begin to emerge much earlier than when the century technically begins, so that though the Eighteenth Century may actually begin from the year 1700 yet the ideas which dominate are seen to be present as early as 1650. Similarly, towards the end of the Eighteenth Century we notice a gradual emer- gence of ideas which lead to the Romantic Age. This is the reason why John Dryden, who died in the year 1700, is nevertheless included in a study of Eighteenth Century Literature, because it was he who pioneered the ideas that were to dominate the literary scene of the coming century. ‘We now come to the most important aspect of this whole concept of emerging trends - that is, the reasons behind them. As we are aware, literature of any age is shaped by its social, political, religious, and sometimes even economic circumstances. Therefore to uiderstand why the Eighteenth Century almost venerated the qualities of reason and logic, one has to first take a close look at its history from all the above mentioned angles. But of course, to understand the Eighteenth Century better we have to make a beginning in the last few decades of the Seventeenth Century. Queen Elizabeth died issueless in 1603, plunging England into years of political, religious and intellectual strife, James I, who succeeded her to the throne was never able to achieve the confidence of the people of England as they considered him an alien to their country. Moreover, he ruled Scotland, a country which had always been hostile to its neighbour. James's personal character also went a long way to making relations between him and the people bitter. He even succeeded in alienating the Parliament. His son Charles ! who succeeded him in 1625 was no better. Like his father he firmly believed in the Divine Right theory and within fifteen years he alienated the whole nation. Events came to a head in the year 1642 when civil war broke out. between the king and Parliament. From 1629 to 1640 Charles I governed England without Parliament. This period is sometimes referred to as Eleven years of Tyranny as the king resorted to many arbitrary financial devices which told heavily on the people. There were forced loans, forced taxation, etc. Along with this political friction, there was little peace in the religious arena as well. Since Reformation, England had been tom asunder by several religious sects. When the Stuarts came to the English throne, there 3