18th-Century Poetry
Consider, specifically, how the subject matter and language of these poems differs from those of both the 16th and 17th centuries. These are, needless to say, quite different. I have paired these poems to encourage you also to consider them as a form of communication, as in dialogue with each other. We've discussed this in relation to the literature and poetry of previous periods, but you will see it even more directly in these as many responses are addressed directly to the original poet. Each of these poems touch upon issues contemporary to the Restoration and the 18th century. You will notice that these poems span quite a bit of time. They also engage, in some instances, with forms of poems that will be familiar, so don't just think about them as responses, but also pay attention to how they develop genres of poetry (e.g., pastoral poems, carpe diem poems, etc.)
OTHER NOTES:
What goes along with 18th century poetry is the amount of women that are now becoming relevant writers. There are many of these poems that you will read in this section written by women. Also, women are now beginning to perform the female roles in plays. Also, cleanliness is beginning to be a very big theme. People are actually starting to care about this, particularly the cleanliness of women. Sex also comes along and it is not all innuendo like it has been previously, it is pretty straightforward.
Women start to respond to all of the sexist things that are being written about them. First, there are two poems about labor, one by Stephen Duck and the response by Mary Collier. She points out that women would not only work hard but they are not given the opportunities nor the knowledge. The poems about sexuality are relationships are no longer the courtly love that you have read throughout this class. Think about what changes to make this writing now acceptable? Also think about how women, when written about by men, are still seen as objects. Notice how men worry about different virtues of the women than they did in the previous writings.
OTHER NOTES:
What goes along with 18th century poetry is the amount of women that are now becoming relevant writers. There are many of these poems that you will read in this section written by women. Also, women are now beginning to perform the female roles in plays. Also, cleanliness is beginning to be a very big theme. People are actually starting to care about this, particularly the cleanliness of women. Sex also comes along and it is not all innuendo like it has been previously, it is pretty straightforward.
Women start to respond to all of the sexist things that are being written about them. First, there are two poems about labor, one by Stephen Duck and the response by Mary Collier. She points out that women would not only work hard but they are not given the opportunities nor the knowledge. The poems about sexuality are relationships are no longer the courtly love that you have read throughout this class. Think about what changes to make this writing now acceptable? Also think about how women, when written about by men, are still seen as objects. Notice how men worry about different virtues of the women than they did in the previous writings.
Study Guide
There's a study guide for 18th-Century Poetry due. See CSC Online to access it.
Poems We're Reading
Laboring-Class PoemsThe two poems herein -- Stephen Duck's "The Thresher's Labor" and Mary Collier's "The Woman's Labor" -- comment on a aspect of society not often addressed: working-class life. Additionally, Collier responds directly to Duck by asking that he think not just about man's daily toil, but also that women. Consider too how these poems speak to earlier pastoral poetry; these are much more realistic views of working the land and living in it.
Elegiac PoemsThomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" and Anne Finch's "A Noctournal Reverie" can both be classed as elegiac, poems -- poems that mourn. Both poems mourn quite different things/ideas, but both also have an interesting somber quality. Though I have grouped them, they were not written in response to each other. Consider how both of these differ from the liveliness and temperament of the rest.
Poems about RelationshipsAphra Behn's "The Willing Mistress" and Anne Finch's "The Unequal Fetters" offer two different perspectives on relationships. The first, is about physical rather than marital love, and the second is about marital love from the perspective of a woman. Bear in mind that, during this period, a woman once married had no legal existence apart from her husband. These were not written in response to each other, but their contrast makes them good counterparts. Pay attention to the language and the tone.
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Poems about SexualityJohn Wilmot (commonly referred to as Rochester since he was the Earl of Rochester) wrote "The Imperfect Enjoyment," which was published with Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment" (also originally attributed to him). These poems offer divergent perspectives on the same topic and are definitely in dialogue with each other as Behn and Rochester ran in the same circles. You should also think about how these poems relate to others that we have and will read. For example, Behn's poem also engages with the pastoral literary tradition, and you can consider whether or not Rochester's speaks to a poem like "The Lady's Dressing Room."
Poems on WOmenAlexander Pope's "Epistle 2. To a Lady on the Character of Women" was not well received by those of the female sex, needless to say. The view that he offers is a more traditionalist perspective on women during the period. As you read, think about how it follows the traditional depiction of women in earlier literature that we've read, and also think about the fact that England has been run by a King since the death of Elizabeth. Anne Ingram's response "An Epistle to Mr. Pope, Occasioned by Characteristics of Women" was one of many poems written in reply. Pay attention to the arguments that she makes about what makes his argument fallacious and problematic.
Poems about a Lady's Dressing RoomJonathan Swift's "The Lady's Dressing Room" and Mary Montagu's response to it are in direct conversation much as Pope's and Ingram's, and Duck's and Collier's. Do you agree with Montagu? How did you read Swift's original poem? Consider these questions and think about what these poems suggest about public perspectives on the English stage, make-up, romance, and popular male writers.
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