FINAL

Metaphysical poetry • Used comparisons known as metaphysical conceits • Characteristics of wit, comparisons, simple verse forms • unlike renaissance poets, the metaphysical poets avoided images of nature and mythological Allusions. Metaphyseal conceit • A conceit, in general draws a comparison between two dissimilar things... like love and a compass. • Similes or metaphors, but more conceptual and tenuous relationship.. Not observable on the surface. • One critic, said "a comparison whose ingenuity is more striking than its justness. Some examples: • George Herbert compares god to a bottle that can hold an infinite amount of speaker tear.s • Donne compares love or marriage to a flea which bites two lovers, thus containing both of their bloods mingled together • Philip Sidney takes the idea of having a lovers heart and then builds upon this literally. "holy sonnet x"( "death be not proud") • It really is a petrchan sonnet, even though it has the CDDCAA rhyme scheme in the sestet

Her mother and father were both radical intellectuals of the late 18th century • She met and married Percy Bysshe Shelley, romantic poet who she ran away with at the age of 16. (he was 21 at a time) • She was part of a group of writers (Particularly Poets) who would form the basis of the romantic literary movement in England. Shelley's Family • Shelley's mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, who published "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman", a radical philosophical treatise that argued for the right of equal education for women. • Her father was William Godwin, a political philosopher who was one of the first to support utilitarianism and anarchy. Utilitarianism proposes that governing should be guided by what is most useful and effective in society, even if it is cruel or unfair • Her mother died shortly after her birth, and she was raised by her father who exposed her to various philosophical and political ideas. During this time, she met some of the most influential philosophers and politicians and writers of the time.

Gothic literature: What It Is and what has began Gothic Architecture: • Gothic literature was actually inspired by Gothic architecture • This was the name given to the style of architecture present in the Middle ages • However it wasn't named "gothic: until the 16th century, when it was called the pejoratively(expressing disapporval) • Most gothic buildings were religious... churches, abbeys, monasteries. • Its most recognizable elements are tall spires, high valuated ceilings, pointed arches Dis-interrogation of Gothic Architecture • Many of the gothic buildings in England were in ruins by the time the gothic movement in literature • Henry VIII, the Puritans, and old age had all taken their toll on gothic architecture • Gothic writers saw these crumbling buildings as a representation of social turmoil and general disregard of the past • These buildings with their hidden passageways and intricate architecture presented a setting ripe for tales of treachery and deceit. Elements of the Gothic novel : set in the past • The reason that most gothic novels are set in the past is that the wires tried to imagine what it would be like to live in one of those gothic buildings. • The castle of Otrnato reflects this in many ways, most notably the underground passage way from the castle to the monastery. • But also "the great hall" episode, maltida and Theodore first conversation. Elements of the gothic novel: supernatural • Most of the references to the supernatural in gothic literature is subtle and easy to miss • Many times offer no real explanation for the occurrence of supernatural happenings • From the outset, there's no real explanation of the giant helmet.. It just happens • Same things with the whispering painting and the giant legs and feet Elements of the Gothic Novel: heroines in trouble • Gothic heroines are a staple of the genre • They are almost always educated and "modern" • They are often orphaned, or presumed orphaned (Isabella) • They are pursued by an evil male suitor (Manfred) • Women are chased, imprisoned, traded, and married off for nefarious reasons What's with that? • In a modern 18th century world, the middle class male was seen as "uncouth" and needing to be "tamed'. • Women were thought to be a culturing effect on men • In addition the 18th century saw an increase in "middle class" literacy. More women were reading, and these types of heroines appealed to them. The women of Otrnato • Hippolyta is the flattest and weakest of the three principle female characters. • She readily bends to her husband will, ready to go into the convent to allow him to remarry to Isabella • Matilda is the classic gothic heroine. She resist the will of the "villain" much more than Isabella • Her death is surprising. Isabella • It is unusual for a character so weak to end up marrying the hero at the end of the story • Her original marriage to Conrad starts her off as weak • She willing relinquishes her love for Theodore once Matilda shows interest • Her marriage to Theodore is merely created out of their mutual grief for Matlida's death. The Villain! • Gothic villains are often complex characters, more so than either the hero or heroine • Manfred is usually blustery, unreasonable, and tyrannical • But there are moments when he is rational • Manfred is governed by his passions, which always get him in trouble • And he is meant to pay for the sins of the past, of his grandfathers usurpation of the principality of Otranto. A word for Mr. Walpole • Walpole was the son of the first British prime minister • He coined the term "gothic novel" himself • He frequented the social circles of many writers and thinkers of his day. The birth of the novel • While there is no signal definition of the novel, it has certain qualities ○ It is fictional. This is the most basic element of the novel ○ It is in prose, not poetry Prose: The story being told might be complex, but you can count on all the features of everyday speech, such as paragraphs, sentences, and all the usual punctuation. Poem: are often easy to spot because the author is usually working to create a unique structure involving all of the senses. ○ its a single narrative line. In other words, it's a single story, not a collection ○ Its lengthy. Normally, anything over 10,000 words is defined as a novel • Don Quixote(1605) ( is often designated as the first novel First British Novels • There is no clear piece of fiction that can be pointed to as the first novel in English • Robinson curse(1719) by Daniel Dafoe is the book most often designated as the first • Other candidates include Morte Arthur (1485) pilgrims progress (1648) and Pamela(1740) • At any rate, the castle of otrnato is part of the developing art form that was only the beginning to be explored for its potential.

Francois- Marie Arouet (or Voltaire) 1694-1778 • Prolific writer with over 2000 books and pamphlets written • Outspoken advocate of freedom of religion and freedom of expression. • Advisor to three European monarchs Voltaire and Religion • Like many philosophers of his day, Voltaire was a pantheist.. Meaning he didn't believe in any one specific deity or religion • He believed in "universal law" that revealed itself in the natural world... through physical laws.. And were reflected in the moral laws of many religions. • He supported religious tolerance, as long as a religion did not ascribe to "brutality" Humanism • Voltaire saw the philosophy of Humanism, first developed by the Dutch philosopher Erasmus, as the next stage in human civilization • Humanism emphasized the value of human being over religious institutions • It also, as a product of the Enlightenment, placed a heavy emphasis on reason and logic over faith • Through secular in nature, many like Voltaire practiced a type of religious Humanism. Candide • Candide was published in 1759, and reflects many of the enlightenment principles of its time. • It is a bildungsroman, which is picaresque in nature. • Picaresque refers to a style of novel that revolves around the travels of a young hero, usually of low birth. This style of writing was made popular during the Spanish Golden Age of poetry, which occurred during the Renaissance. The best of all possible worlds • The character of pangloss is based on philosophies of Gottfried von Leibnitz, a German philosopher of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. • Leibnitz did develop a metaphysical philosophy based around the idea of "the best of all possible worlds" The tenets of Leibnitz's Philosophy • Sufficient reason: there must be "sufficient reason" for anything to exist. Often only God knows that reason. • The identity of discernible: two things cannot share exactly the same qualities • Natural things change gradually, rather than suddenly • God assuredly always chooses the best. The Lisbon Earthquake • The earthquake is an actual historical event that occurred in 1755, killing at least 60,000 • It was this event that inspired Voltaire's initial anger with philosophical and religious optimism • Many European philosophers saw the earthquake as either "for the best" or as punishment for the sins of the Portuguese's as a people • Voltaire found this offensive. He said that saying its "for the best" basically argues that the earthquake didn't exist. • The church really did burn all those people at the stake. Jacques(or James) the Anabaptist • Jacques is a rational man, whom we meet in chapter 5 • Here we see the philosophy of truth being revealed through actions instead through doctrine or title • In Jacques common sense and action is given weight over optimism and religious hypocrisy (And how Jacques dies is significant to all of this (see if you can figure that one out) The goal of the enlightenment • The ultimate goal of the englightment was to create a better society through reason ○ React tot what is readily observable... like people suffering ○ Use science to lessen that suffering.. Or eliminate it ○ Use science to understand why things occur and to avoid future devastation ○ Admit that suffering is terrible and try to respond to it with compassion rather than writing it off as "the best of all worlds". Satire • Candide is a prime example of satire, which was the foremost weapon of Enlightenment writers • Voltaire is attempting to highlight the European institutions that don't make sense and that don't work.. That aren't reasonable and fair. • He tries to put forth the argument of what the world would be lie if it was based on reason. Voltaire is not a philosopher • It can be argued that Voltaire isn't actually a philosopher, but that he combines existing philosophies • Radical skepticism of Rene Descartes. That doubt exists in every belief, so certainty is never justified Empiricism of John Locke... that experience and evidence its more important than faith and belief. Its how modern science became modern science.

Paradise Lost The creature continually makes reference to Milton's poem in particular he quotes from Book X: ○ Did I request thee, Maker, from my Clay ○ To mould me Man, did I solicited thee ○ From darkness to promote me? Here we see Adam questioning God. Adam tells God that he did not ask to be made, so how can God punish him for not living up to what God expected of him? Science and God ○ During the 18th century, many people began to question if the aim of science was to replace God ○ If sciences aim was to "delve into the mysteries of life," were they not intruding on places that only God should go? ○ In Victor Frankenstein, we see the extreme end of that question.... The question taken to its furthest reach... actually creating life, playing God ○ And this does in some ways to be Victor's goal, and we have seen how Victor as a character reflects many of the concerns of political and social philosophers of the time ○ But what about the creature? The Products of Science ○ As I pointed out in previous classes, scientists have sometimes regretted the discoveries they have made ○ One of the most notable is J. Robert Oppenheimers words after the successful tests of the atomic bomb: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds" ○ Victor comes to exemplify this, but the creature posits a valid question. He basically asks what is the created to do when the creator is horrified by what he has created. Creature as Adam ○ In his conversation with Victor, the creature posits himself as Adam, the first man, and Victor as God. He understands this relationship ○ because of his reading of Paradise Lost ○ In the passage from Paradise Lost, Adam questions God, asking how can God hold Adam responsible for something that he didn't ask for existence. ○ The creature asks the same... how can Victor condemn the creature for being "evil" if Victor fails to take responsibility for his own creation? It seems a valid point The Creature as a Logical Being ○ Shelley clearly endows Victor's creature with a rational, reasoning mind ○ All of the things that the creature demands from his creator and the things of which he accuses his creator are based on logic ○ And he seems to demonstrate that Victors work, while seemingly born out of logic, is actually formed out of passion and pride ○ Hence Victor is more Satan in Paradise Lost than he is like God The Creatures Action: ○ The primary accusation of the creature is that a creator bears some responsibility for the created. If the created becomes "evil" then surely the creator was faulty either in the creation or in nurturing of that creation ○ The creature ask for a mate, arguing that all forms of life have "something" to share life with a communal level, and that it is the creator responsibility to provide this ○ The creature understands the consequences of what he ask Victor to do, and offers assurances ○ The creature threatens 'eye to eye" consequences for Victor not fulfilling his part of the agreement.

Jonathan Swift(1667-1745) • Probably the most well-known in the English language • Also known for his poetry (though, admittedly, I haven't read any • Became Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. A Modest Proposal Background • The essay was written to address economic inequities within the landlord system in Ireland • Ireland was first conquered by Henry VIII. • James I encouraged Protestant landowners in England and Scotland to emigrate. They were offered estates in Ireland in order to oust Irish residents. • Irish peasantry was forced to work the land, and often starved when food was shipped abroad. English Attitudes • As Swift mentions in the essay, most of the English, who in effect controlled the Irish Policy, felt disdain for the English peasantry. • Religious tensions between Protestant England and Catholicism fueled much of this attitude • Like salves in America and serfs in Russia, the Irish peasantry was, at best seen as intellectually inferior, if not sub-human by the English parliament and crown. Satire • Basic Definition? Dead-pan, straight-faced comedic delivery usually directed at government or some other institutional establishment. • The Daily show, Stephen cobler, south park, Saturday night live... oh, candied. • Satire is normally ironic, sarcastic, and often hyperbolic and outrageous.. Like eating babies. Two Types of Satire • Horatian ○ More light-hearted witty ○ Employs exaggeration ○ Criticizes stupidity ○ Think huck finn, the daily show, the Simpsons, family guy • Juvenalian ○ More harsh in tone, sometimes even angry ○ Moral indignation ○ Critizes evil ○ Thin candide, animal farm, "a modest proposal" Rhetorical Structure "A modest proposal " follows the classical six part rhetorical structure Exordium • Paragraphs 1-7 of Modest Proposal : states the nature of the problem and the intention of the proposal • The problem is the over-population of poor people, and the fact that poor people have too many children.. And that those poor children tend to beg Confirmation Paragraphs 8-16: states the proposal itself Notice how Swift lays this on the barbaric, uncivilized American to give credibility to this argument. Funny stuff. Formal Digression • Paragraphs 17-19 of Modest Proposal. • Here Swifts recall a conversation with a friend to reassure his reader of the feasibility of his proposition. Notice that much of Swifts information is second and third hand. Enumeratio • Paragraphs 20-28 enumerates the advantages of the proposal 1. Lessen the number of papists 2. Poor tenants will have something of value 3. Will boost the economy 4. Young parents won't have to care for their kids 5. Increase local bar and restaurant business 6. Will make for happier families.... Mother will take better care of their kids, husbands wont beat their wives, at least not while there pregnant. Refutatio • Paragraphs 29-30 :refutes any possible objections to the proposal. • The only possible objection to such a logical proposal is that this will lower the number of populace and lessen the size of our country. Peroratio • Paragraphs 31-33: Summarize strongest arguments and disclaimer against personal interest. • Swift says that he is open to any opinions, but warns that any other solutions should take into consideration the breadth and scope of the poverty in Ireland. Swifts Rhetorical game Plan • Some fast talking: swift uses some fairly complex sentences structure as if to try to confuse the reader.. Or at least to sound a little con man- like • Detailed oriented: he's though of everything. I mea, you have to be impressed of all the things he's thought of Desensitizing: he uses agricultural "animal husbandry" terms like "dropped from its dam.

John Donne (1572-1631) • Priest and poet • His style was a reaction against the renaissance poets. • Member of parliament • Master of metaphysical conceit Metaphysical poetry • Used comparisons known as metaphysical conceits • Characteristics of wit, comparisons, simple verse forms • unlike renaissance poets, the metaphysical poets avoided images of nature and mythological Allusions. Metaphyseal conceit • A conceit, in general draws a comparison between two dissimilar things... like love and a compass. • Similes or metaphors, but more conceptual and tenuous relationship.. Not observable on the surface. • One critic, said "a comparison whose ingenuity is more striking than its justness. Some examples: • George Herbert compares god to a bottle that can hold an infinite amount of speaker tear.s • Donne compares love or marriage to a flea which bites two lovers, thus containing both of their bloods mingled together • Philip Sidney takes the idea of having a lovers heart and then builds upon this literally. "holy sonnet x"( "death be not proud") • It really is a petrchan sonnet, even though it has the CDDCAA rhyme scheme in the sestet • Iambic pentameter, but Donne is fairly loose with his meter. Not all of the lines are exact in syllable and stress • Last two lines don't exactly rhyme, but that may be because the rhyme dies out as death dies. Death • Much of the poems wit comes form the way it describes and belittles death • Lines 1-2 are an excellent example of apostrophe(possession) where the speaker dares to address death directly. • Line 3-4 the speaker is condescending, addressing "poor death". • Lines 5-6 he calls sleep "pictures of death" lessening death's power. • Lines 7-8 point that practically of death, that he helps lead people out of this life, into eternity • In line 12, he asks why death swells with pride... what does death have to be proud about? • Lines 9-10, point out that death's dependence on other things... which would make it less powerful . Fate, change(luck) , kings, government, The Speaker • Think of the speaker as the little kid facing the school bully.. A David and Goliath type situation • Like David, he seems under-armed, but unintimidated by his formidable opponent. • He even calls death names and makes fun of his inability to act alone. Neo- Classicism • Literary movement that drew inspiration from the ancient Greek "classical" poets and dramatists • Neoclassism stretched from the mid - 17th to mid -18th centuries.. .following the renaissance • It was a reaction against the "freedom" of the renaissance, seeking a more structured form in poetry. "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" (farewell speech written to his wife) • Donne wrote the poem before he left his wife Anne for a trip to the Continent in 1611. • The poem has been both celebrated and criticized by critics as a prime example of the use of conceits and as a prime example of the excesses of metaphysical poetry. • The principle conceit in the poem is the comparison between the two lovers and the compass.... Two distinct points, forever linked. Opening of the Poem • While the poem is a love poem, the opening stanzas can be misleading • In the first two quatrains(4 lines), Donne discusses the death of virtuous men. This is a figurative comparison. He says that great men die quietly, and that their separation should be similar. There should be no tears, that it would be a "profanation of our joys" if everyone knew of their grief at parting. Our love is different • Donne stressed that their love is different from that of "dull sub-laniary lovers" (basically everyone else) • Sub-laniary? Governed by the moon. Governed by passion. • Only these sub-laniary lovers miss the physical parts of each other when they are separated. Love is like Gold • His next conceit is the comparison between beaten gold and their love • When gold is hammered, it does two things... spread out and gets thinner • The spreading out is a reference to the distance between them which is increasing • The thinness is a reference to their love being atmospheric" and "aery thinness" The Central Conceit • The main conceit of the poem is the compass • She is the "fix'd foot"... because she's staying at home • Donne points out that though that "foot" seems not to move, it really does. • When the other point orbits, the fixed point leans and hearkens after it. And it grows erect when the other point returns home. The Wandering Foot • The planted foot makes the circle made by the compass true and just. Her firmness (remember Shakespeare's sonnet about the landmark?) makes his life sturdy and reliable. Her reliability always brings him back home "make me end where I begun"

Mary Shelley (1791-1851) • Her mother and father were both radical intellectuals of the late 18th century • She met and married Percy Bysshe Shelley, romantic poet who she ran away with at the age of 16. (he was 21 at a time) • She was part of a group of writers (Particularly Poets) who would form the basis of the romantic literary movement in England. Shelley's Family • Shelley's mother was Mary Wollstonecraft, who published "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman", a radical philosophical treatise that argued for the right of equal education for women. • Her father was William Godwin, a political philosopher who was one of the first to support utilitarianism and anarchy. Utilitarianism proposes that governing should be guided by what is most useful and effective in society, even if it is cruel or unfair • Her mother died shortly after her birth, and she was raised by her father who exposed her to various philosophical and political ideas. During this time, she met some of the most influential philosophers and politicians and writers of the time. The Composition of Frank stein • In 1816, Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelly spent the summer with their friend, the poet Lord Byron at an estate on Lake Geneva in Switzerland • During a particularly rainy night, and after reading many ghost stories, Byron suggested that each of them come up with their own ghost story. • After days of being unable to come up with her own story, one night Shelley was disturbed by a "fitful sleep, and composed the basis of the story of Frankenstein • Her husband later encouraged her to write and publish the story... at first as a short story, but then he told her to expand it to a full novel • Many scholars consider it to be the first modern horror story. A Quick Note • Many people mistakenly refer to the creature as "Frankenstein". • The creature is unnamed in the story. • The doctor is Victor Frankenstein. The Evolution of Science • One of the primary reasons that the novel is significant is that it examines the role and place of modern science. • As the novel is being written at the beginning of the 19th century, the concept of empirical evidence in science is still relatively new • For many years, both the Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations made it illegal to cut into a human body for scientific purposes. It was considered heresy. • The novel speaks to the beginnings of human seeking answers about the nature of life and death. Victor Frankenstein: hero or villain? • Victor Frankenstein presents us with a difficult assessment of his nature in the novel • He is clearly a deeply flawed individual, whose pride and arrogance lead him to a difficult predicament. And in many ways, we as readers lack sympathy for him. • But keep in mind historical context. For 1816 or 1821, Victor was a daring pioneer. He seeks to extend the bounds of science and of human understanding. Yes, he represents the dangers of science, but it also its potential to understand life better. Nature vs. Nurture • One of the primary philosophical points of the book is the question "Who are we and how do we get that way? • Victor wants to see the creature... his own creation.. As an abomination, something to be feared and destroyed. • But the creature lays the fault for his nature at Victor's feet, saying that the creature's evil nature is purely due to Victor abandonment of him after his creation. • Pay attention to the conversation that the two have this week Literary Devices • Frankenstein is an epistolary novel, meaning its story is told through letters. Keep in mind that all of the novel is basically from letters that Robert Walton is writing to his sister while he's on his journey. • It is also, like Invisible Man, a framed story. Walton's letter/ narration provide the other frame of the story, while Frankenstein relation of his story to Walton provide the inner part, the picture. Prometheus • The book is subtitled "the modern Prometheus" • As your read the novel, you should think about the significance of the subtitle. • To do that, we should examine the legend of Prometheus Creator of Man • In Greek mythology, Zeus gave Prometheus the responsibility of creating mankind, so Prometheus molded Man out of clay • But then, out of a feeling of responsibility for his creation, he gave Man fire... and that angered Zeus • So Zeus punishes Prometheus by chaining him to a tock and allowing vultures to peck out his liver... every day. His liver regenerates every night so that the vultures can have at him all over again on the next day. Prometheus and the Romantics • The Romantics saw Prometheus as an important figure in Greek mythology. Like the Romantics, he sought to bring light to the world... one metaphorical and one literal. • But, like the Romantics, he had to suffer for his endeavor. The Romantics saw themselves as misunderstood and often punished for attempting to bring new understanding to humanity. • As readers of both the novel and the myth, we are asked to judge the value of the creation in relation to the perils that follow. The Romantics • Romanticism was a response to the Enlightment,which we will get to shortly • The enlightment celebrated logic and reason. It followed the Renaissance which was more about love and passion. • Enlightment writers questioned the logic of creation things, and saw value in set patterns in literature created by the Greek and Romans. The enlightment writers tended to be stiff and stodgy. • Romanticism, as reaction against the Enlightenment, stressed the value of imagination. • This is where the connection with Nature comes into play. Romantic poets saw Nature as the spark of imagination. The would go for long walks and ventures into the countryside in order to find inspiration for their poetry • Romantics sought to express a connection between humanity and nature, which in turn would reveal fundamental truths about existence. So? • Well, so Frankenstein's as a novel, in smack-dab in the middle of the two. In 1813, the Enlightment is just fading out and giving way to Romanticism • So one of the basic questions we should ask while reading this novel is how is it part and parcel to each movement? Is it a romantic argument against to the ideas of the Enlightment? (Shelley was married to one of the foremost poets of Romanticism.) or is it a transitional piece of literature.

Paradise Lost as a Whole • Paradise Lost is an epic poem divided into 12 books, all around 1000 lines each. • The epic hero here is Satan... as you may have noticed. • John Milton was not a Satanist. He's trying to make a point about the reason that evil exists • Satan is smart, cunning, eloquent, and above all PERSUASIVE • If he had made Satan silly, stupid, petty, and bumbling then that that wouldn't say much for humanity's ability to resist evil. Milton's Purpose • Milton is clear about his purpose in writing Paradise Lost • His purpose is two fold ○ To soar above the Aonian Mount.. To exceed the Greeks and take his place among the great poets ○ To justify the ways of God to men. Here he seeks to explain why God allows evil to exist • He explains this in the Invocation(Greek poets created a type of prayer), where he invokes the aid of the muse(seven daughters of Zeus) Appreciation for Milton • Milton has a tremendous mind. He's very knowledgeable of a variety of classical texts from the Greeks and Romans. He makes various allusions to Biblical and classical works. • Milton is taking a big bite, as it were. Epic poems are not easy to write, and writing one in the 17th century would have been seen as a challenge to the past. Beginning of Protestant Literature in England • Milton is the first great Protestant writer in England.. In that his religion (particularly his Puritanism) was a focus on his poetry. • Protestantism started in England during the Renaissance, but religion was not the focus of Renaissance artists work • The Enlightenment in England provided an opportunity for a flowering of religious writers like Milton and John Bunyan, who wrote the other great allegory of the time, Pilgrims Progress. Epic Hero Qualities • Satan's first speeches include each of the heroic virtues of epic heroes of the past... Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus • He displays both courage and eloquence, as well as strong leadership qualities • Demonstrating strong leadership, he rallies his troops from defeat and exile... exile to Hell • Satan has a daunting task in doing this. Think about this from a secular (religious) perspective • Satan has convinced the angels to rebel against God, someone whose strength and power they have underestimated. • They have been beaten badly • They have not only been cast from heaven, but cast into hell, a prison that has been built especially for them. • Satan must convince them to continue to fight against God. The Second Speech Origin of Evil • Satan's second speech basically explains why he rebelled.. Essentially why evil happened • Satan makes clear he rebelled out of jealousy, out of feeling cheated, out of nepotism. • Satan is meant to seem petty here. Milton detracts from the heroic nature of Satan's speeches by the pettiness of the reason for rebellion. Better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven • This basically explains Satan's perspective • But it also puts an interesting perspective on Puritanism • Couldn't one say the same of the Puritans attitude in America? Isn't this basically the same reason that the Puritans left England for America.. Unwilling to "serve" the king in England, so better to "reign in the hell of the wilderness Structure of/in Hell • Hell quickly takes on a social structure • Mammon becomes the builder.. He is the gold miner, creating structures for pride • Mulciber is the architect • Pandemonium becomes to capitol • There is a consultation to decide on their course... not a dictatorship, almost republican. Hell as a Paradox • Milton points several qualities of Hell that defy human understanding ○ The coals of Hell burn, but they are not consumed.. The don't turn to ash ○ The fire created in Hell doesn't put out light; it puts out darkneness ○ No hope can reside in Hell (even though clearly Satan and his followers find hope to renew their battle with God. • Milton does this to show that God is capable of things beyond the realm of the human world The Puritans • By the time that Milton writes Paradise lost, the puritans are no longer a sect that has to hide from the public and flee to america for religious freedom • By means of an extremely strong work ethic, the puritans becomes the most powerful part of the middle class, controlling trade, commerce and banking throughout England • By the 18th century, the puritans had taken control of Parliament as well. The Allegory • Paradise lost is a very long allegory(story/poem with a hidden message) • Gods army represents Charles II and the Royalists ○ whiles satan and his army represent Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads, the rebels • Keep in mind that Milton once supported Cromwell's challenge to the crown and event he Interpretted. • The poem is definitely about Milton disenchantment with Cromwell's rule Satan = Cromwell • One of the reason that Milton makes Satan so interesting, compelling and dynamic is because that's how Cromwell was • Milton sees his own swaying towards Cromwell's cause as being similar to being tempted by Satan to do evil • In effect, Milton is casting himself in the role of Even in this allegory • Perhaps he is saying that all political are the Devil.. And who could really argue with that. In medeas res (in middle of the action) • Milton opens the poem in the middle of action, with the rebel angels just waking up from being cast out of heaven • The rest of the poem goes to tell the story of creations in much more detail than what is presented in Genesis. Milton is effectively taking a lot of poetic license • He is filling in many of the narrative holes in the story of creation in the Book of Genesis and the Christian Bible as a whole. Felix culpa ( happy fault) • One of the points of the story is to explain "the Fall" the original sin of Adam and eve and the consequences thereof. • Milton presents this idea of the "fortunate fall", the Felix culpa • The theory argues that there is ultimately good that comes from the Fall of Man: God's mercy, the coming of Christ, redemption and salvation. • The theory argues that greater good can be achieved because of the Fall than would have been possible without it The Necessity of Evil • Felix cupla depends on the concept that in order to have good, you must have evil as a point of comparison • The poem (and much of Christian theology) argues that in order for god to highlight the good in humanity (his creation) he had to create evil to stand in contrast to that good. • The heroic actions of the police officers to foil the bank robbery cannot happen without the bank robbers deciding to rob • And that it is our decision to refrain from sinning on a daily basis that brings out the divine in us. That god created sin, created evil, to give us all a chance to be good In Summary • The poem is truly without parallel in the English language. It is definitively the greatest epic poem written in English Without this poem, Milton's reputation would not be nearly what it is today. His other works in no way reach the level that this one does.

Modern Science of the 19th Century • The belief that humanity was on the precipice of possessing Nature... that we could use the laws of Nature to better our lives ○ Machiavelli: Science would conquer chance ○ Bacon: Science would relieve Man's estate • Political science would create space for human freedom ○ Allow humans to pursue their own lives ○ Create obstacles to tyranny and superstition Thomas Hobbes • Referred to as the "father of political philosophy" • He saw the natural condition of humanity as being violent, insecure, and under constant threat • He argues that while Man's natural state is not to be governed, the alternative is so abhorrent, we must opt to be governed • He argues that the only natural authority in the human world is mother over child, and only because the child is so dependent on the mother for survival. John Locke • Known as "the father of liberalism" and many of his ideas of governance were adopted into the American Constitution. • Both he and Francis bacon espoused the theory of the social contract between government and governed. • Stressed both classical liberalism, the idea of liberty and the social liberalism, the idea of equality. • His philosophy disputed the concept of the divine rights of kings, eventually leading to the "glorious revolution" in England On the Other Hand... There's Jean-Jacques Rousseau Who Said • Modern societies make man miserable • Man is divided and conflicted.. On the one hand we are member of society;... church, government, community. On the other we strive for individuality • We are divided against ourselves • This makes us miserable The Problem of Tyranny • By 1814, we have solved the problem of tyranny.. No more George III • But only on a political level • We still had personal tyrannies. Men who live life selfishly for their own ends.. The Hannibal lectures of the world • Scientists are tyrants.. .controlling nature and humanity. And I give you... victor Frankenstein • Victor is firm in his belief that he can possess Nature, bend it to his will. And that he can "relieve man's estate" • Yet he is divided against himself. He seeks to serve humanity. This is his rationale for what he does. But he strives for glory.. For individual achievement • He is a tyrant. He is selfish, self- absorbed, dismissive of those around him, unconcerned with the consequences of his action. A Time with Liberty • Think of the frame in which Frankenstein is produced... 1814 • America has espoused the liberty and equality of man.. Kinda • France has had open rebellion ending in the execution of a tyrant • England has moved more and more power away from the monarchy and into the hands of Parliament • Personal liberty has become tangible. People feel free in ways that their ancestors never could • But within this freedom, liberty creates space for tyrants to blossom. Victor as a miserable tyrant • Victors characters is set from the beginning of the novel spoiled. Indulged, wealthy, self-interested • Look at the way he thinks of Elizabeth. She is his prize. She is his possession. She is rightfully his to own. • He looks at science in the same way. It is his to own. He may do with scientific knowledge what he please. He feels entitled • Yet he is miserable all of the time. Nothing pleases him. He could marry Elizabeth and be happy, but he doesn't • He forces his misery on others and seeks to bend others to his will a miserable tyrant. Product of his Time • Modern political theory espoused that we should build government from scratch, both Thomas Hobbes and john Locke sought to tear down former forms of governing for a new age, a new way of seeing the relation between Man and society. • Why pick at the fruits of existing governance, seeking to enhance them. Make monarchy more palatable? Like France, burn the system to the ground and create anew • Victor sees science the same way. Why find cures and fixes? Simply start form the ground up. Build humanity in a more perfect way. Play god Victor= Enlightenment • Enlightenment philosophers believed that science would reveal the mind of God • Victor skips the middle step and attempts to be the mind of God through science.. To be creator • Enlightenment philosophers believed that science and logic would save us from our own savagery • Victor, through his logic, creates savagery • Shelley seems to use Victor as the extension of Enlightenment philosophy to its repugnant end Justice • Justine is aptly named because she is the first victim of antiquated justice.. Guilty until proven innocent • The delaceys suffer the same fate as Justine, unable to find fair treatment under the law • Victor is unjustly accused of murder.. Not going to spoil too much • And victor unfairly judges the creature. • Remember, Mary Shelley is the daughter of two political radicals who saw society's justice as barbarous and cruel • The idea of justice was making a transition from religiously based (bringing people at the stake for heresy) to scientifically based on evidence • Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that property eroded a persons inherent goodness and that justice was more about property and materialism than it was about equality Rule over "Others" • Keep in mind that the creature is seen as primitive, savage • Is there historical context for this? Of course • European powers had shifted colonialism from white colonies (america) to brown colonies (africa and asia) • Wars of independence in south america Even democracy, or the pursuit of it, could be savage.. French revolution