RESTORATION AGE

 Q-2 restoration or victorian age:

This blog is in response to the task given by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. This blog is a thinking activity given by our professor. In this blog I am sharing my own thoughts on restoration age and characteristics of restoration age.

Restoration age:

Background: The Augustans and the Age of Reason:

The Restoration refers to the restoration of the monarchy when Charles II was restored to the throne of England following an eleven-year Commonwealth period during which the country was governed by Parliament under the direction of the Puritan General Oliver Cromwell. This political event coincides with (and to some extent is responsible for) changes in the literary, scientific, and cultural life of Britain.

During this time, a premium was placed on the importance of human reason and on an empirical philosophy that held that knowledge about the world was through the senses and by applying reason to what we take in through our senses. Reason was an unchanging, uniquely human characteristic that served as a guide for man. Thus this time is often also called the Age of Reason or Enlightenment. Characteristics of this period included observing human nature and nature itself which were considered unchanging and constant.

The age is also known as the Neoclassical period. Writers of the time placed great emphasis on the original writings produced by classical Greek and Roman literature. The literature of this period imitated that of the age of Caesar Augustus, writers such as Horace and Virgil, with classical influences appearing prevalent in poetry with the use of rhyming, and in prose with its satirical form. The Augustans deemed classical literature as natural, that these works were the idealised models for writing. The Neoclassical “ideals of order, logic, restraint, accuracy, ‘correctness,’ decorum,. . . would enable the practitioners of various arts to imitate or reproduce the structures or themes of Greek or Roman originals” (Victorian Web). Alexander pope furthers this idea as he says “Learn hence for ancient rules a just esteem; To copy Nature is to copy them” (Essay on Criticism). The way to study nature is to study the ancients; the styles and rules of classical literature. Closely allied with the emphasis placed on the classics and the unchanging rules of nature was the belief that reason was an unchanging and unique human quality that served as a guide for man.

An Age of Satire:

Literature during this period was often considered a tool for the advancement of knowledge. Writers were often found observing nature in their attempts to express their beliefs. Human nature was considered a constant that observation and reason could be applied to for the advancement of knowledge. Within these circumstances, the Age of Satire was born. Satire was the most popular literary tool that was utilised by writers of the time. With the help of satire, writers were better able to educate the public through literature. Its function was to acknowledge a problem in society and attempt to reform the problem in a comical manner while still educating the public. Its effectiveness can be seen in literary pieces by Jonathan Swift such as A Modest Proposal where he addresses and criticises the problem of a growing famine in Ireland. Playwrights of the time were also known to incorporate satire in their plays. Through the use of satire, they were able to expose and critique social injustices. “Over the thirty years of its triumphs, Restoration comedy, in an astounding fugue of excesses and depravities, laid bare the turbulence and toxins of this culture” (Longman). Satire was a highly successful literary tool that worked to promote social awareness through literature, the theatre and periodicals of the time.

Age of Restoration | Notes for Net/Set Exam (youtube link.)

Timeline:

• 1660: Restoration–Charles II, Stuart monarchy

• 1662: Royal Society established

• 1685: James, Duke of York, succeeds his brother Charles II

• 1688: Glorious Revolution–James II deposed, William and Mary share the English throne

• 1689: Bill of Rights–limits crown, affirms supremacy of Parliament

• 1689: Toleration Act–religious freedom for dissenters

• 1690: John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding

• 1707: Act of Union–England and Scotland for Great Britain

• 1745: Last Jacobite uprising

Some Background on Politics of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century:

 

After the restoration and reign of Charles II, his brother James II ascended to the English throne. During his time as King, James would attempt to move the monarchy back towards Catholicism. As a result, Parliament arranged for James’ son-in-law William of Orange and his wife Mary to take over the monarchy in 1688 when James fled to France. The succeeding rule of King William and Queen Mary would create a more Protestant monarchy. Known as the Glorious Revolution, this event solidified the power of Parliament, ensuring that the monarch would govern with the consent of Parliament and that the monarchy would remain Protestant.

In 1689, the Bill of Rights was established. It was an act that stated the rights of the people, the limitations to the power of the crown and the supremacy of the Parliament. In the same year, the Toleration Act was also established. This act gave religious freedom to “dissenting Protestants, such as Baptists and Congregationalists. It allowed [them ]their own places of worship as well as religious teachers and leaders.” However, this act did not extend to Catholics and still barred dissenting Protestants from holding political positions (Toleration Act). In 1707, the Act of Union resulted in the union of the England and Scotland under one name–Great Britain. The English wanted political support in case of a Jacobite uprising or French attacks and Scotland wanted economic security. After the Act, the English and Scottish Parliaments were joined together. England gave freedom of trade to Scotland and Scotland accepted the Hanoverian succession. This act led to two major Jacobite uprisings in 1715 and 1745 in the attempts to reinstall the Stuart monarchy of James the II and his son Charles. All chances of a Stuart restoration to the throne ended in 1746 at the Battle of Culloden (Britannica)

 

Cultural and Literary Contexts:

• Newspaper and periodicals

• The coffeehouse culture 

• The novels

• Classical education in the eighteenth century

• Eighteenth century 

• Religion politics and the glorious revolution of 1688

• Restoration and eighteenth century drama

• The royal society and the enlightenment 

• Social and family life in the later 17th early 18th century

 

 Authors:

• John dryden(1631-1700)

• Alexander pope(1688-1744) 

• Jonathan swift(1667-1745)

• Joseph addison(1672-1719)

• Samuel johnson(1709-1784)

• Edmund burke(1729-1797)

• Edward gibbon(1737-1794)

• Thomas gray(1716-1771)

• Oliver goldsmith(1728-1774)

• William cowper(1731-1800)

(Opening of the theatre)

History of Theatre: Restoration through the 19th Century

• Restoration through Romanticism (late 17th century, 18th century, & 19th century)

Restoration (England) late 17th century

The Restoration is a historical period that specifically applies to England. In the latter part of the 17th century, England restored its monarchy when, in 1660, Parliament recalled the son of the previous king, Charles I, back from exile in France and invited him to resume the monarchy that had not existed in England for 11 years. Parliament had deposed, tried for treason, and executed King Charles I in 1649. In the interregnum (between kings) period, the country was ruled by Oliver Cromwell, who had been the leading general of the Puritan Army that overthrew the King in the Civil War. He ruled until his death, in 1659, as the Lord Protector of England. Even though the purpose of the interregnum was to get rid of hereditary rule in England, Oliver Cromwell’s son was selected s his successor. Where Oliver Cromwell had been a fairly effective leader, his son was incompetent. So, just about a year after the son took over, Parliament decided that having an incompetent leader was not a good thing! After 11 years of not having a king, Parliament realized that the monarchy had not been so bad, and invited Charles I’s son to come back and restore the kingship, and he accepted and became Charles II.

As a result of the restoration of the monarchy, the last part of the 17th century saw marked changes in theatre in England. When Charles II took the throne, he was instrumental in returning theatre to England (it had been abolished by the Puritan-dominated Parliament in 1642). His time in exile in France allowed him to grow up viewing French Neo-classical theatre, and that experience influenced what theatre in England became during the restoration.

• Significant influence of French theatre

One notable way that theatre was influenced was in the types of plays that were written during this time. Moliere and other French playwrights had a huge influence over the plays being written in Restoration England. One development was the English Comedy of Manners. This was a style, as discussed in the previous supplement on Genres, that looked at the foibles and shortcomings of the upper classes through the eyes of the lower classes. It often satirized the excesses and eccentricities of the upper classes. It was often filled with witty dialogue and sexual innuendo.

Other important elements of Restoration Theatre (in England)

Part of the influence of French theatre in England included an increased role for women. Female playwrights, as in France, were allowed to write and publish plays. Some chose to write under male pseudonyms to increase the possibility of publication and performance, but others circulated their scripts privately. In addition, women were finally allowed to perform on the English stage. Women’s roles were played by women, based in large part on the influence that Charles II had on Parliament, and the influence one of his mistresses, who wanted to act on stage, had on him!

Play-going, in England, became even more of an “event” that the well-to-do sought the opportunities to “see and be seen” in a social environment. Often, it was as if there was a social event at which a play just happened to be performed!

There was also a shift in the way theatre companies were formed. In contrast to the Renaissance practice of patrons and share-holder companies, there was an increase in contract performers, where actors would be hired for a season or a specific play.

Since most of the theatres, particularly the public theatres of the Elizabethan age had been torn down or permanently repurposed, new theatres were built. Here, again, the French influence was felt in England. Many of the Renaissance Theatres being built in France in the late 1600 were used as models for similar new construction in England. English theatres were purpose built along the lines of the Neo-Classical theatres in France, and included a fusion of the elements of Italian scenery, French amphitheater style seating, the English “pit” for standing room, and the Proscenium Arch.

• 18th Century (Europe & England)

After the Restoration in England, the theatres there were on a par with those in the rest of Europe, and the remainder of the development (post-Renaissance) that will be discussed will be representative of all European theatre, including England.

The 18th century was a time of transition. Improvements in transportation and expanded markets across the globe resulted in a significant increase in trade and manufacture. Not only in the world of goods and services, but also in the world of ideas, this time was a period of expansion, an outward looking period. The growth of Humanism had created an awareness of social issues that had never been heard of outside of the Church and its focus on religious issues. However, now the exploration of human traits and the thinking about thinking that was becoming common, the ideas about social circumstances, politics, and even religion took new turns. This is the beginning of what came to be known as the Age of Enlightenment, a period when scholars, politicians, and thinkers of every type began to question the way things had been done for thousands of years.

The 18th century was also a century of wars. Some of the more significant ones are the American Revolution, French Revolution, Napoleon, and the War of 1812. Most of these wars were results of new ways of thinking about how people rule and are ruled. Most, in fact, were fought to either throw off a tyrannical monarchy, or to restore one. All in all, this was a century of ideas and expansion.

In the arts, things were also expanding and become more and more exaggerated and extravagant. So much so, in fact, that one of the major movements in the arts in this century is called the Baroque. This style was a very ornate artistic style, meant to explore the extremes of everything: detail, color, ornamentation, and even movement. Baroque style, though begun in the other areas of artistic expression and architecture, also found its way into theatre scenery and design.

• 18th Century Theatre

The 18th century theatre was just as expansive as the rest of society. A number of new forms of theatre emerged. They were generic labels that tried to better define what was being written by many new playwrights. We covered the ideas of most of these when we explored the genres of theatre earlier in the course. Among these new styles were the following:

“Drama,” based on the French word drame (pronounced= “drahm”). It was a serious play that was not quite tragedy.

Bourgeois tragedy and Domestic Tragedy – dramatic version of the Roman New Comedy – a domestic focus with a look at the serious issues of common people.

Ballad Opera grew out of the Italian Renaissance creation, Opera, but instead of being all sung, it was a play that instead of having everything set to music, would draw on the popular songs of the day and work them into stories told on stage.

Sentimental Comedy grew out of the medieval tradition of the Morality play, but instead of looking at the church doctrine for achieving salvation, these plays emphasized right-living, or morality, in everyday life. They often showed the rewards of living within the social conventions of the day.

“Sturm und Drang” is a new German development based on the humanism in Shakespeare’s dramatic style. It means “storm and stress” and it looked at the emotional motivations that the characters were facing in the conflicts they encountered in the play. This genre led to what developed into Romanticism in the 19th century.

There were also changes in Italian Commedia dell’Arte. These changes were essentially toward the extremes of realism and fantasy. As mainstream theatre began to take on the romantic story telling that had originally been the purview of the Commedia, the commedia shifted to different focus ideas.

In the 18th century, most governments and even to some extent the church continued to try and regulate/censor popular theatre. However, as both of those institutions were being lessened in social significance, their reach into theatre was limited. As a result, theatre grew in popularity. Theatre spaces grew in size to accommodate the increase in audiences. This meant bigger auditoriums that seated more people, though they still accommodated standing audiences, there was a growth in the comfort of the theatres. In addition, playing spaces (the stages themselves) got roomier to allow for more scenery and machinery.

The Italians introduced “angle perspective” and “multipoint perspective.” These were developments in the artistic creations, and they found their way into the theatrical scenery. It was an advance on the use of one-point perspective scenery in the Renaissance. The use of multiple vanishing points gives scenery the appearance of vanishing at a great distance and give the impression of an even larger space being suggested by the scenery. This grew out of the idea that plays were reflective of the larger world, and as a result, they were depicted as to be a piece of that larger world. The multipoint perspective allowed the observer to see that the action was part of a scene that continued into the world across the entire horizon.

There were some other new elements developed to use with stage scenery. All of these were developed to allow more versatility in scenery and to help create the sense that the play fit into the larger world. They included the following:

1. Curtains – were used to block sightlines at the top and sides of the stage, especially once sets were being built on the stage and not using the entire performing space as the scene.

2. Drops – instead of painting hard scenery elements, scenes would be painted on canvas or other fabric and then lowered onto the stage, and raised when the scene was finished, to speed up scene changes.

3. Ground rows – a low piece of scenery that would allow actors to be scene behind it while other actors could be in front of it (such as a fence or a line of shrubs) to build the sense of three-dimensionality in settings.

4. Rolled backdrops – these were drops that instead of being lowered into the scene would be rolled side to side, sometimes in a continuous loop to give a sense of travel or greater movement than the stage itself would allow.

5. Free standing scene elements – instead of having scenery elements only at the sides and back of the performing space, free-standing elements that the actors would walk all the way around, if needed, would also give a sense of three dimensions to the scenery.

Some other elements that were introduced into scenery usage in the 18th century include the following:

Box sets were introduced. These are sets that include a nearly enclosed room built on the stage with all of the walls except the one facing the audience (this is where the “fourth wall” convention got its name).

This is also the time frame when stage lighting was developed. Most lighting up until this period had been sun light or candlelight. However, the use of oil lamps allowed for some degree of control over the light that an instrument gave off. By using reflectors and wick adjustments, oil lamps could be dimmed and the light could be directed in a rudimentary way. Gas lamps were an improvement of oil lamps, as they were even more controllable.

• 18th Century Acting

In the 18th century, the popularity of theatre was such that individual actors were often very popular. This popularity resulted in the development of star actors. Stars were born! Yes, even then, people would go to the theatre to see a favorite actor perform, and not just to see the pay (or to see and be seen!)

Acting itself started to develop a little further than it had in the Renaissance. However, though it drew on the ideas of verisimilitude, it was NOT realistic by a modern sense at all. It was quite bombastic, over the top acting, using stock gestures and movements to create the sense of an emotional moment. We would call it “overacting” today.

The Director comes into being

This is also the period of time that the idea of a director, separate from the leading actor or playwright, was developed. The influence of George III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, was covered in the earlier supplement on Directing in the Theatre, so it won’t be covered again here.

• 19th century (Europe & America)

By the time the 19th century rolled around, the world was moving rapidly into the Industrial Revolution. Agriculture had previously been the primary use of land and resources, even during the early decades of trade and merchandising development. However, the demand for product and natural resources was booming, and the cultures of Europe, and now America, were trying to keep up with the rapid rate of change.

This was a period of social change. In addition to the Industrial Revolution, there was an increase of scientific enquiry and technical development. The Age of Enlightenment had opened up a whole new path toward understanding the world. It was in the 19th century that the world was introduced to Steam powered industry, improved Transportation (trains, steam ships, etc), and faster communications – the Telegraph.

As the world was increasing in trade, the differences in cultures and peoples around the world began to be readily seen. Whereas prior to the later part of the 18th century, most people never travelled much more than 60 miles from where they were born, in the 19th century, new ideas and products, and information began to be readily available from the increases in transportation that exploration was not just the purview of adventurers anymore. This awareness of different cultures led to a rise in nationalism. People clung to those who were like them in language and culture and physical proximity. Nationalism was a way to differentiate between “us” and “them” on a wider – world-wide scale.

The growth of scientific thinking and examining the world led to numerous intellectual advances. Theories that challenged millennia old beliefs came to the foreground, such as the Theory of Evolution and the socio-economic ideas challenged by the Theory of Communism and the apparent successes of Republicanism and Democracy.

• 19th Century American entertainment

Our focus in the remainder of this supplement will be on American entertainment. It was in the 19th century that the American forms and styles of entertainment, which reflected the new open and adventurous American spirit emerged and developed their own styles different from their European theatrical and entertainment heritage, though many of those older influences can still be seen beneath the surface.

A classic American development that grew out of the vast distances that the new landscape covered, was the traveling entertainer. This wasn’t new, since it had been common in Europe throughout the Middle Ages and later. However, the American developments included variety shows, burlesque, minstrel shows, circuses, wild west shows, and medicine shows.

The development of localized centers of commerce and culture (i.e. towns) meant that though they were far apart, the desire and need for entertainment created a demand for spaces that would cater to entertainment. Often these were associated with saloons, though not always. There were dance halls and playhouses built for local talent and to accommodate traveling entertainers from larger towns and cities. An early form of entertainment was vaudeville. It was essentially a series of variety acts that mixed different kinds of entertainment to appeal to a broad cross section of the population in an area.

• 19th century theatre concepts

There are a couple of general concepts in theatre that developed in the 19th century. The first one is named for an entire artistic movement: Romanticism. This movement, or style in theatre, grew out of German “Sturm und Drang” of the 18th century, which in turn was based in the Humanism of Shakespeare in the late Renaissance. Essentially, Romanticism is focused on the emotions and motivations of the characters instead of action. That is, instead of seeing a lot of things happen in a play, the audience observes how the characters feel and react to the circumstances they encounter. This places the Romantic movement at the heart of the shift from “what happens” in a play to the “why” the action happens.

Another style, or genre, that developed in the 19th century is Melodrama. We explored what the characteristics of Melodrama are in the Genre supplement to the course. Remember that it based on the French concept of “melody drama” where music was used during a play to cue the audience to the emotional content of the play. It is still used to a very large extent in our modern movies and television shows.

• Dramatic Criticism

In the Romantic period in theatre, a concept was developed (out of the Neo-classical ideals of the Renaissance as modified by the developments of the 18th century) that described the basic sort of play structure. If you recall from the Supplement on the Play and the Playwright, we examined a play’s structure. The simple Introduction-Rising Action/Conflict-Climax-Falling Action/Denouement-Resolution structure came to be known in the 19th century as the “Well-made Play.”

Unlike earlier dramatic criticism, the idea of the Well-Made Play was not a tool to determine if a play was acceptable or not. It just became a guiding principle for play development. If a play varied from this structure, it wasn’t condemned or prohibited from production, but it did often suffer from bad reviews.

• 19th Century acting & directing

Along with the idea of the well-made play, the 19th century saw a change in basic acting style. Once again, building on the ideas of verisimilitude and the changes of the 18th century, acting became somewhat more natural. The bombastic over-acting that was considered good in the 18th century was gone, but there were still elements in the 19th century that would not sit very well with modern audiences. For example, a star performer would often be positioned directly downstage center and the other characters would move beside the star to perform a scene, and then retreat into the background to let the star stay centred and most important.

This is especially true since this was till a time of “stars” in the theatre. In many ways, they were the precursors to our modern movie stars and rock stars. They would often develop huge supporting groups of fans who would flock to and fill a theatre just to see the star or get an autograph. Imagine every performance being a red-carpet event (like a modern opening night celebration) but only for the star, and you start to get the picture of what these stars would be like in the 19th century.

The Repertory style of scheduling plays that the French National Theatre made routine, started to spread across many large theatres in large cities throughout America and Europe. So too did the idea of Touring companies. These large shows would often travel around the country stopping in smaller cities and towns for a few nights to share big-city plays with audiences who otherwise would not be able to ever see something like that. This was a mostly American development, but it did spread back to Europe on a somewhat more limited scale since the distances between cities and towns in Europe was significantly less than it was in America.

The last significant development that theatre saw in the 19th century was the return of Performer-Managers/Directors. Stars would often take charge of their own shows, if not an entire theatre (as part owner, usually) and manage the performances. However, this return of performer/managers-directors did not replace the separate Director that had developed in the 18th century. Instead, it supplemented that new role, but allowed the really big stars to have an input in their own performances and the shows they appeared in.

Q-3 can you differentiate general characteristics of restoration age.

LITERARY CHARACTERISTICS OF RESTORATION AGE 

The literature of the Restoration period marked the complete breaking of ties with Renaissance literature. It reflected the spirit of the age. The spirit of corruption and moral laxity, which were predominant in the social life of the restoration, are reflected in literature. The following are the chief feature of the period: 

 

1 Rise of Neo-classicism 

The Restoration marks a complete break with the past. The people believed in the present, the real and the material. Moody and Lovett remark: ―In all directions it appeared as a disposition towards conservation and moderation. Men had learned to fear individual enthusiasm, and therefore they tried to discourage it by setting up ideals of conduct in accordance with reason and common sense, to which all men should adapt themselves. Rules of etiquette and social conventions were established and the problem of life became that of self-expression within the narrow bounds which were thus prescribed.‖ All these tendencies were reflected in the literature of this period. The writers, both in prose and poetry, tacitly agreed upon the rules and principles in accordance with which they should write. Rules and literary conventions became more important than the depth and seriousness of the subject matter to the writers of this period. They express superficial manners and customs of the aristocratic and urban society and did not pry into the mysteries of human mind and heart. 

 

2 Imitation of the Ancient Masters 

The authors of the period were not endowed with exceptional literary talents. So they turned to the ancient writers, in particular, to the Latin writers, for guidance and inspiration. It was generally believed that the ancients had reached the acme of excellence and the modern poets could do no better than model their writings on the classics. Thus grew the neo-classical school of poetry. The neoclassicists or pseudo-classicists could not soar to great imaginative heights or could not penetrate deeply into human emotions. They directed their attention to the slavish imitation of rules and ignored the importance of the subject matter. This habit was noticeable in the age of Dryden. It strengthened in the succeeding age of the Pope. 

 

3 Imitation of the French Masters 

King Charles II and his companions had spent the period of exile in France. They demanded that poetry and drama should follow the style to which they had become accustomed in France. Shakespeare and his contemporaries could not satisfy the popular literary taste. Pepys wrote in his diary that he was bored to see Shakespeare‘s Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Italian influence had been dominant in the Elizabethan period. Now began the period of French influence, which showed itself in English literature for the next century. Commenting on the French influence on the literature of this period W. H. Hudson writes: ―Now the contemporary literature of France was characterised particularly by lucidity, vivacity, and by reason of the close attention given to form – correctness, elegance and finish. It was essentially a literature of polite society, and had all the merits and all the limitations of such a literature. I was moreover a literature in which intellect was in the ascendant and the critical faculty always in control. It was to this congenial literature that English writers now learned to look for guidance; and thus a great impulse was given to the development alike in our prose and in our verse of the principles of regularity and order and the spirit of good sense. As in verse pre-eminently these were now cultivated at the expense of feeling and spontaneity, the growth of an artificial type of poetry was the inevitable result.‖ The famous French writers like Corneille, Racine, Moliere and Boileau were imitated. Boileau‘s ―good sense‖ ideal became very popular. English writers imitated the French blindly; rather they copied the worst vices of the French, instead of their wit, delicacy and refinement. The French influence is seen in the coarseness and indecency of the Restoration comedy of manners. The combined influence of French and classical models of tragedy is seen in the heroic tragedy. The French influence is responsible for the growth and popularity of opera. 

4 Correctness and Appropriateness

 The work of the authors of the Restoration period was imitative and of limited quality. Since they lacked creativity and flight of imagination, they abandoned freedom altogether and slavishly followed the rules. Edward Albert writes: ―Thus they evolved a number of ―rules‖ which can usefully he summarised in the injunction ―Be Correct‖, correctness means avoidance of enthusiasm, moderate opinions moderately expressed, strict care and accuracy in poetic technique; and humble imitation of the style of Latin Classics.‖

The new tendency, which reached its climax in the Age of Pope, is very clearly marked in the literature of the Restoration period. To Dryden Dr. Johnson applied the term ―Augustan‖, saying that Dryden did to English literature what Augustus did to home, which he found ―of brick 

and left of marble.‖ Dryden was the first representative of the new ideas that were to dominate English literature till the end of the eighteenth century. 

 

5 Realism and formalism 

Restoration literature is realistic. It was very much concerned with life in London, and with details of dress, fashions and manners. ―The early Restoration writers‖, observes W. J. Long, ―sought to paint realistic pictures of corrupt court and society, and emphasised vices rather than virtues and gave us coarse, low plays without interest or moral significance. Like Hobbes, they saw only the externals of man, his body and appetites, not his soul and his ideals. Later, however, this tendency to realism became more wholesome. While it neglected romantic poetry, in which youth is eternally interested, it led to a keener study of the practical motives which govern human action.‖ The Restoration writers eschewed all extravagances of thought and language and aimed at achieving directness and simplicity of expression. Dryden accepted the excellent rule for his prose, and adopted the heroic couplet, as the next best thing for the greater part of this poetry. It is largely due to Dryden that ―writers developed formalism of style, that precise, almost mathematical elegance, miscalled classicism, which ruled the English literature for the next century.

 

Conclusion:

In this blog I write about historical aspects of the restoration period. Also I write about the concept of restoration religious and political conflicts on the social sphere and the revolution that brought a deep change in the society in general and literary activities in particular.this blog deals with the facets of restoration age like rise of neoclassicism, imitation of the ancient masters and their impact on the writings of the restoration age and introduction age and introduction of correctness and appropriateness as well as formalism and realism in their writings.

Thank you so much for read this blog.keep learning!😊

{words-5562}