Estoy bien y tu?

Johnson's works, especially his Lives of the Poets series, describe various features of excellent writing. He believed that the best poetry relied on contemporary language, and he disliked the use of decorative or purposefully archaic language.In particular, he was suspicious of the poetic language used by Milton, whose blank verse he believed would inspire many bad imitations. Also, Johnson opposed the poetic language of his contemporary Thomas Gray.His greatest complaint was that obscure allusions found in works like Milton's Lycidas were overused; he preferred poetry that could be easily read and understood. In addition to his views on language, Johnson believed that a good poem incorporated new and unique imagery

1667        Jonathan Swift born on November 30 in Dublin, Ireland; the son of Anglo-Irish parents. His father dies a few months before Swift is born.

1673        At the age of six, Swift begins his education at Kilkenny Grammar School, which was, at the time, the best in Ireland.

1682-1686         Swift attends, and graduates from, Trinity College, Dublin

1688        William of Orange invades England, initiating the Glorious Revolution in England. With Dublin in political turmoil, Trinity College is closed, and Swift goes to England.

1689        Swift becomes secretary in the household of Sir William Temple at Moor Park in Surrey. Swift reads extensively in Temple's library, and meets Esther Johnson, who will become his "Stella." He first begins to suffer from Meniere's Disease, a disturbance of the inner ear.

1690        At the advice of his doctors, Swift returns to Ireland.

1691        Swift, back with Temple in England, visits Oxford.

1692        Temple enables Swift to receive an M. A. degree from Oxford, and Swift publishes first poem.

1694        Swift leaves Temple's household and returns to Ireland to take holy orders.

1695        Swift ordained as a priest in the Church of Ireland, the Irish branch of the Anglican Church.

1696-1699        Swift returns to Moor Park, and composes most of A Tale of a Tub, his first great work. In 1699 Temple dies, and Swift travels to Ireland as chaplain and secretary to the Earl of Berkeley.

1700        Swift instituted Vicar of Laracor, and presented to the Prebend of Dunlavin in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin.

1701        Swift awarded D. D. from Dublin University, and publishes his first political pamphlet, supporting the Whigs against the Tories.

1704        Anonymous publication of Swift's A Tale of a Tub, The Battle of the Books, and The Mechanical Operation of the Spirit.

1707        Swift in London as emissary of Irish clergy seeking remission of tax on Irish clerical incomes. His requests are rejected by the Whig government. He meets Esther Vanhomrigh, who will become his "Vanessa." During the next few years he is back and forth between Ireland and England, where he is involved in the highest political circles.

1708        Swift meets Addison and Steele, and publishes the Bickerstaff Papers and An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity.

1710        Swift returns to England. Publication of "A Description of a City Shower." Swift falls out with Whigs, allies himself with the Tories, and becomes editor of the Tory newspaper The Examiner.

1710        Swift writes the series of letters which will be published as The Journal to Stella.

1713        Swift installed as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.

1714        Foundation of Scriblerus Club. Queen Anne dies, George I takes the throne, the Tories fall from power, and Swift's hopes for preferment in England come to an end: he returns to Ireland "to die," as he says, "like a poisoned rat in a hole."

1716        Swift marries? Stella (Esther Johnson).

1718        Swift begins to publish tracts on Irish problems.

1720        Swift begins work upon Gulliver's Travels, intended, as he says in a letter to Pope, "to vex the world, not to divert it."

1724        Publication of The Drapier Letters, which gain him enormous 1725 popularity in Ireland. Gullivers Travels completed.

1726        Visit to England, where he visits with Pope at Twickenham; publication of Gulliver's Travels.

1727        Swift's Last trip to England.

1727-1736         Publication of five volumes of Swift-Pope Miscellanies.

1728        Death of Stella.

1729        Publication of Swift's A Modest Proposal.

1731        Publication of Swift's "A Beautiful Young Nymph Going to Bed."

1735        Collected edition of Swift's Works published in Dublin; Swift is suffering from Meniere's Disease, resulting in periods of dizziness and nausea, and his memory is deteriorating.

1738        Swift slips gradually into senility, and suffers a paralytic stroke.

1742        Guardians appointed to care for Swift's affairs.

1745        Swift dies on October 19. The following is Yeats's poetic version (a very free translation) of the Latin epitaph which Swift composed for himself:

Savage indignation there
Cannot lacerate his breast.
Imitate him if you dare,
World-besotted traveller; he
Served human liberty

Some information about The Pilgrim's Progress

Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in two parts, the first of which was published in London in 1678 and the second in 1684. He began the work in his first period of imprisonment, and probably finished it during the second. The earliest edition in which the two parts combined in one volume came in 1728. A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693, and was reprinted as late as 1852. Its full title is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come.

The Pilgrim's Progress is arguably one of the most widely known allegories ever written, and has been extensively translated. Protestant missionaries commonly translated it as the first thing after the Bible.

We've already learned some poems of John Milton, and his poem to his dead wife is very beautiful. Although he was almost blind; his words to describe the miss to his wife is very touching to me   

The following information is timeline of John Milton's life

and I also found some websites about him, and I hope you can all enjoy it.

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/englit_1/milton.htm

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/milton/

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/contents/index.shtml

1608 John Milton was born and educated in London, the son of a musical composer

1629 Milton made his way to Cambridge, where he studied at Christ`s College from which he took a BA

1632 received his MA from Christ`s College

1634 A dramatic masque Comus was performed although not published

1637 masque Comus was published anonymously

1637 His great pastoral elegy, Lycidas was published. this work expresses his grief over the loss of a college friend, Edward King.

1641 Milton began publishing pamphlets against the episcopal church and what he perceived as the unfinished English Reformation.

Approx 1642 began work on what is concidered one of his greatest works, Paradise Lost.

1644 Areopagitica, his famous defense of a free press

Approx 1645 During the mid-1640s, he began to notice the deterioration of his eyesight.

1651 The deterioration of his eyesight continued until he was completely blind.

1667 Paradise Lost is published

1671 Paradise Regained, the sequal to Paradise Lost is published

1671 Samson Agonistes is published

11/12/1674 He died of gout and was buried next to his father in St. Giles Church, Cripplegate, London

Poetry by Robert Herrick - To Electra

I dare not ask a kiss,              a
I dare not beg a smile,          b
Lest having that, or this,         a
I might grow proud the while.   b

No, no, the utmost share             c    
Of my desire shall be           d
Only to kiss that air                 c
That lately kissed thee.         d

I think that the author really had a crush on Electra; otherwise, he can’t write such a beautiful poetry like this. The whole poetry present that the author appreciates her very much so that author did not dare ask for a kiss or even a smile, the author might just want to look at her and stay where she was and that is enough to him.

There is a Garden in her face,                     a
Where Roses and white Lillies grow ;         b
A heav'nly paradise is that place,                a
Wherein all pleasant fruits doe flow.            b
There Cherries grow, which none may buy  b
Till Cherry ripe themselves doe cry.             c

Those Cherries fairly doe enclose
Of Orient Pearle a double row ;
Which when her louely laughter showes,
They look like Rose-buds fill'd with snow.
Yet them nor Peere nor Prince can buy,
Till Cherry ripe themselues doe cry.

 Her Eyes like Angels watch them still ;
Her Browes like bended bowes doe stand,
Threatning with piercing frownes to kill
All that attempt with eye or hand
Those sacred Cherries to come nigh,
Till Cherry ripe themselues doe cry

Reflection

The poem talks about a girl’s beauty. The poet compares the girl to a cherry, like snow, fire, lily, and pearl. It is very impressive to use simile. In addition, the repetition of “Till Cherry ripe themselves doe cry” means that not until a girl becomes to marry does she really relax, because she is ought to be a virgin till she gets marry.

Sonnet 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Sonnet 130 is the poet's pragmatic tribute to his uncomely mistress, commonly referred to as the dark lady because of her dun complexion. The dark lady, who ultimately betrays the poet, appears in sonnets 127 to 154. Sonnet 130 is clearly a parody of the conventional love sonnet, made popular by Petrarch and, in particular, made popular in England by Sidney's use of the Petrarchan form in his epic poem Astrophel and Stella.

If you compare the stanzas of Astrophel and Stella to Sonnet 130, you will see exactly what elements of the conventional love sonnet Shakespeare is light-heartedly mocking. In Sonnet 130, there is no use of grandiose metaphor or allusion; he does not compare his love to Venus, there is no evocation to Morpheus, etc. The ordinary beauty and humanity of his lover are important to Shakespeare in this sonnet, and he deliberately uses typical love poetry metaphors against themselves.

In England, there are two main religion.

One is Catholic and the other one is Christian.

These two religion had conflict most of the time during the early seventeenth centry; eventually led to the Gunpowder.  

Moreover, the religion intefered with the government a lot, which caused a lot of damage. It was no good.

The earlier seventeenth century, and especially the period of the English Revolution (1640–60), was a time of intense ferment in all areas of life — religion, science, politics, domestic relations, culture. That ferment was reflected in the literature of the era, which also registered a heightened focus on and analysis of the self and the personal life. However, little of this seems in evidence in the elaborate frontispiece to Michael Drayton's long "chorographical" poem on the landscape, regions, and local history of Great Britain (1612), which appeared in the first years of the reign of the Stuart king James I (1603–1625). The frontispiece appears to represent a peaceful, prosperous, triumphant Britain, with Engla nd, Scotland, and Wales united, patriarchy and monarchy firmly established, and the nation serving as the great theme for lofty literary celebration. Albion (the Roman name for Britain) is a young and beautiful virgin wearing as cloak a map featuring rivers, trees, mountains, churches, towns; she carries a scepter and holds a cornucopia, symbol of plenty. Ships on the horizon signify exploration, trade, and garnering the riches of the sea. In the four corners stand four conquerors whose descendants ruled over Britain: the legendary Brutus, Julius Caesar, Hengist the Saxon, and the Norman William the Conqueror, "whose line yet rules," as Drayton's introductory poem states.

The sixteenth century in Europe was a time of unprecedented change. It was the beginning of the modern era,

and it saw a revolution in almost every aspect of life. The century opened with the discovery of a new

continent.And the chapter give us the following parts, THE COURT AND THE CITY, RENAISSANCE HUMANISM, THE REFORMATION, A FEMALE MONARCH IN A MALE WORLD, THE KINDOM IN DANGER

and THE ENGLISH AND OTHERNESS.

In my opnion, the sixteenth century is changing and the changing is good for human. Different from the Middle Ages,

the sixteenth century present the better aspect of life, like the Renaissance and Reformation and so on. People have

more options to choose and they are progressing at that specific period of time.

Sir Philip Sidney's The Defense of Poesy is an attempt to raise poetry above the criticism that had been directed at it by contemporary critics and to establish it as the highest of the arts, best fitted both to please men and to instruct them. The first part of The Defense of Poesy is primarily theoretical: Sidney weighs the respective merits of philosophy, history, and poetry as teachers of virtue. In the final section, he surveys the state of English literature soon after 1580.
  

Sidney's first argument for the supremacy of poetry, and by poetry he means all imaginative writing in both verse and prose, is that it was the "first light-giver to ignorance"; the first great works of science, philosophy, history, and even law were poems. Both the Italian and the English languages were polished and perfected by their poets, Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch on the one hand, Chaucer and Gower on the other. Even Plato illuminated his philosophy with myths and dramatic scenes.
  

Both the Hebrews and the Romans gave high distinction to poets, considering them prophets, messengers of God or the gods. The Greeks called their writers "makers," creators, who alone could rise above this world to make a "golden" one.  Sidney writes of the poet: "So as he goes hand in hand with Nature."

愛頌　十四行詩之68　Edmund Spenser

最榮耀的生命之主！在這天，
你勝過了死亡和罪凱旋；
征服踐踏了地獄，戰勝
擄掠我們這些曾被擄掠的：
親愛的主，這喜樂日是喜樂的開始；
求賜我們：永遠在喜樂中生活！
因你為我們受死，
用你的寶血潔淨一切罪惡。
使我們能看重你愛的可貴，
也能更新對你同樣的愛；
愛那些同被你重價買贖的，
為了你，能彼此以愛相待。
寶貴的愛，我們愛如當盡的責任，
愛的功課是主所教導我們。

The sonnets of Amoretti draw heavily on authors of the Petrarchan tradition, most obviously Torquato Tasso and

Petrarch himself^. “In Amoretti Spenser often uses the established topoi, for his sequence imitates in its own way the

traditions of Petrarchan courtship and its associated Neo-Platonic conceits” . Apart from the general neo-platonic

conceit of spiritual love in opposition to physical love, he borrows specific images and metaphors, including those that

portray the beloved or love itself as cruel tormenter. Many critics, in light of what they see as his overworking of old

themes, view Spenser as being a less original and important sonneteer than contemporaries such as Shakespeare and

Sir Philip Sidney.

However, Spenser also revised the tradition that he was drawing from. Amoretti breaks with conventional love

in a number of ways. In most sonnet sequences in the Petrarchan tradition, the speaker yearns for a lover who is

sexually unavailable. Not only is there a conflict between spiritual and physical love, but the love object is often

married; it is an adulterous love. “Spenser’s innovation was to dedicate an entire sequence to a woman he could

honorably win” . Elizabeth Boyle was an unmarried woman, and their love affair eventually ended in marriage.

As a purely poetic work, The Faerie Queene was neither original nor always remarkable; Spenser depends heavily

on his Italian romantic sources (Ariosto & Tasso), as well as medieval and classical works like The Romance of the

Rose and The Aeneid. It is Spenser's blending of such diverse sources with a high-minded allegory that makes the

poem unique and remarkable. He is able to take images from superficial romances, courtly love stories, and tragic

epics alike, and give them real importance in the context of the poem. No image is let fall from Spenser's pen that

does not have grave significance, and this gives The Faerie Queene the richness that has kept it high among the ranks

of the greatest poetry in the English language

Q1. Compare the several aspects, such as, entertainment, working system, city management, occupations, social relations and values, travels, religion, education, public laws, and the value of happiness, and so onof Utopia with our Taiwan’s society.

 Entertainment- 

Utopians:  They  play music and amuse themselves with conversation.

Taiwan: They have lots of entertainment.

Working system- 

Utopia: six hours a day

Taiwan: variety

City management- Both Taiwan and Utopia have the system that they elect the officials. But the system in Taiwan is developed more maturely than in Utopia.

Occupations-

Utopia: agriculture most

Taiwan: have  lots of different jobs

Social relations and values-

Utopia: blood-relations

Taiwan:no restriction

Travels-

Utopia: have to obtain permission

Taiwan: many ways to travel

Religion-

Utopia: monotheism

Taiwan: variety

The value of happiness-

Utopia: lifetime: knowledge  after desth: bliss of soul

Taiwan: everyone is different

Q2. Do you like Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s poems? Why?

I do like Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s poems because his words are so vivid and beautiful that I enjoy reading tem.

Q1. Choose two of your favorite Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s poems and translate them into modern English.

A Praise of His Love

Q2. Express the feelings of your favorite Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey’s poems.

      I like this poem so much because its description of the feeling of the lady is so vivid

1.    Where is your ideal world? 

My ideal world would be a paradise where it has less crimes and fear, everyone there is very happy and people do not worry about everything.

2.    Explain the literary term: Utopia

Utopia is a name for an ideal community or society, which is taken from a book written by Sir Thomas More. Communists celebrated his book Utopia as the visionary forerunner of their plan to abolish private property; and middle-class liberals have admired his vision of free public education, careers open to talents, and freedom of thoughts.

Utopia is a society that rests upon slavery, including enslavement social deviance. There is no variety in dress or housing or cityscape, no privacy. Citizens are encourages to value pleasure, but they are constantly monitored, lest their pursuit of pleasure pass the strict bounds set by “nature” and “reason.” There is nominal freedom of thought, and toleration of religious diversity is built into the utopian constitution, but still the priests can punish people for “impiety.” The Utopians officially despise war, but they nevertheless appear to fight a good many of them.

   

1.  If Death comes to you, right now, how can you face him? What would you do to your life?

If death comes to me, I would take time to be togeher with my family and friends, and tell them how much I love them; I would also ask them to cherish the time they have. After I say goodbye to them, I would like to go somewhere alone,  and recall all my happy memories peacely and then, I have the courage to leave the world.

2. Explain the literary term: Morality play

 Morality play s apparently evolved side by side with the mystery plays, although they were

composed individual and not in cycles. They too have a primary religious purpose, but their  

method of attaining it is different. Both mysteries and moralities addressed questions of the ultimate fate of the soul. The moralities, instead of rehearsing scriptural stories, dramatized allegories of spiritual struggle. Typically, a person named Human or Mankind or Youth is faced with a choice between a pious life in the company of such associates as Mercy, Discretion, and Good Deeds and dissolute life among riotous companions like Lust or Mischief.

The Second Shepherds' Play is a famous medieval mystery play which is contained in the manuscript HM1, the unique manuscript of the Wakefield Cycle. It gained its name from the fact that in the manuscript it immediately follows another nativity play involving the shepherds. In fact, it has been hypothesized that the second play is a revision of the first

此篇以聖經為背景改編

不得不說實在是齣喜劇和鬧劇

Mak和太太之間得一搭一唱竟也騙得過那三個牧羊人一時

這篇故事令人為之一笑 XDD

Piers Plowman  (written ca. 1360–1387) or Visio Willelmi de Petro Ploughman (William's Vision of Piers Plowman) is the title of a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in unrhymed alliterative verse divided into sections called "passus" (Latin  for "step"). Piers is considered by many critics to be one of the early great works of English literature along with Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight during the Middle Ages.

這部長篇敘事詩以宗教的觀點

描寫Piers Plwman這個農夫的夢境之旅

詩中部分為諷刺，攻擊社會各階層的罪惡

部分為寓言，褒貶世人的大善大惡

Morte Arthur中最讓我印象深刻的就是我本身報告的部分

The Death of Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinever

When Launcelot hears of the death of Arthur and Gawain, he comes to England in haste. He looks for the queen and finds her in a nunnery. For love of Guinevere as much as for remorse he takes on the habit of a priest. Guided by visions, he goes to Almesbury, where he finds Guinevere dead. He buries her beside King Arthur, then sickens and dies himself. He is buried at Joyous Gard. Constantine reigns after Arthur, but the scant remnants of the Round Table are dispersed. Bors, Ector, Blamour, and Bleoberis go to the Holy Land to fight the infidel. The rest simply wander off.

兩人的愛情也是本篇的開頭

皇后跟第一騎士的禁忌愛情引發了一連串的權力鬥爭

或許他們也始料不及

但Sir Lancelot 與 Queen Guinever 從來沒有真正的背叛過Arthur