文档介绍：English Literature
Lecture Five: The Period of the English Bourgeois Revolution
By Tiger
Content
Historical Background
Literary Characteristics
John Milton
John Bunyan
Metaphysical Poets
John Donne
John Dryden
Exercises
Historical Background
The English Revolution: The death of Queen Elizabeth ends the collaboration between the monarchy and the bourgeoisie. With the accession of Charles I to the throne in 1625, the conflict became more acute between the monarch and the Parliament which posed of solid middle-class country gentry and merchants, nearly all puritans. The clash led to a civil war in 1642 between the Royalists troops and the Parliamentary forces under mand of Oliver Cromwell. The Parliamentary forces, though suffered some setbacks in the beginning, decisively
defeated the Royalists in Naseby in 1645. The Civil War ended with the capture and execution of Charles I in 1645and a republic under the name of monwealth of England was founded with Cromwell as Lord Protector.
The Restoration: With the establishment of the bourgeois dictatorship, however, the big bourgeois made promise with the feudal remnants and Cromwell resorted to a series of overbearing measures to consolidate his dictatorship. After his death the Parliament recalled Charles II to England in 1660, which was known as the Restoration.
Glorious Revolution: A white terror was introduced to the country as Charles II and his essor James II carried on cruel reprisals on the Republicans as well as on the innocent people. James II’s plan to restore the old absolute monarchy resulted in his being expelled and Mary, his daughter, and her husband William, both Protestants, were invited to be joint rulers of the country, in 1688. For there is no blood-shedding in this transfer of power, it has often referred to as ‘Glorious Revolution’. Thus ended the Restoration and together with it the feudal rule of an absolute monarch.
Puritanism: The Puritans took the lead and played an important role in th