Heroic poesy/drama Theatre II : post-restoration theatre /
In this lesson we will revisit John Dryden and the developing English literary criticism forming around the topic of the genre of tragedy, more specifically “heroic poesy” – the later term being used in conviction that heroic drama is an epic poetry for the stage. In a sense, the debate over heroic...
Elmentve itt :
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| Dokumentumtípus: | Vegyes gyűjtemény |
| Megjelent: |
2020
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| Kulcsszavak: | angol irodalom története 18. sz. |
| Tárgyszavak: | |
| Online Access: | http://eta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/3150 |
| Tartalmi kivonat: | In this lesson we will revisit John Dryden and the developing English literary criticism forming around the topic of the genre of tragedy, more specifically “heroic poesy” – the later term being used in conviction that heroic drama is an epic poetry for the stage. In a sense, the debate over heroic drama will be a continuation of the debate over epic. It also shares in the fate of the epic in that it too will soon come out of favour, albeit for somewhat different reasons. Restoration tragedy, more than any other literary genre of the period, is embroiled in the political intrigues of its time, offering spectacles of the newly established monarchical power masked under the disguise of heroic feasts. The growing disillusionment of the English with the absolutist tendencies of Charles II (and his leanings toward Catholicism, especially in the person of his brother James, the presumptive heir, and the king’s mistress Louise de Kéroualle), the allegorical nature of the Restoration tragedies (requiring an exclusive audience), and the gradual rise of the middle-class demanding a theatre closer to their sensibilities will make this era of stage spectacles short lived. Their importance lies more in the development of English literary criticism. Also, some of its elements will survive in the medium of baroque opera (to be discussed in the next lecture). Topics will include: Tragedy as epic for the stage; Dryden’s An Essay of Dramatic Poesy (summing up the debate surrounding French and English drama, as well as the continued battle between the Ancients and Moderns); Tragicomedy as the native English genre; The allegorical and political character of Restoration tragedy; Case study: Dryden’s All for Love, or the World Well Lost; The turn towards 18th-century domestic tragedy and sentimental comedy In this lesson we will revisit John Dryden and the developing English literary criticism forming around the topic of the genre of tragedy, more specifically “heroic poesy” – the later term being used in conviction that heroic drama is an epic poetry for the stage. In a sense, the debate over heroic drama will be a continuation of the debate over epic. It also shares in the fate of the epic in that it too will soon come out of favour, albeit for somewhat different reasons. Restoration tragedy, more than any other literary genre of the period, is embroiled in the political intrigues of its time, offering spectacles of the newly established monarchical power masked under the disguise of heroic feasts. The growing disillusionment of the English with the absolutist tendencies of Charles II (and his leanings toward Catholicism, especially in the person of his brother James, the presumptive heir, and the king’s mistress Louise de Kéroualle), the allegorical nature of the Restoration tragedies (requiring an exclusive audience), and the gradual rise of the middle-class demanding a theatre closer to their sensibilities will make this era of stage spectacles short lived. Their importance lies more in the development of English literary criticism. Also, some of its elements will survive in the medium of baroque opera (to be discussed in the next lecture). Topics will include: Tragedy as epic for the stage; Dryden’s An Essay of Dramatic Poesy (summing up the debate surrounding French and English drama, as well as the continued battle between the Ancients and Moderns); Tragicomedy as the native English genre; The allegorical and political character of Restoration tragedy; Case study: Dryden’s All for Love, or the World Well Lost; The turn towards 18th-century domestic tragedy and sentimental comedy |
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