Pepy's Diary - What did I find most interesting?

I definitely enjoyed the historical aspect of the diary. Coming from a previous Political Science major, History tends to interest me and entertain me. I especially found the London fire intriguing. I pictured myself watching all of the action - the fire, the mad people running, and while doing tha I imagined what it must have been like to be there. What is it like to watch a fabulous city (in this case not so fabulous) cirty go up in flames. What is it like to watch your own home go up in flames. Even Pepys seems troubled by the entire ordeal. When he talks of wanting to write his father but the post office had gone up in flames so he couldn't and the idea of having dinner and how melancholy it actually was. While reading this everything felt so real.

I also related this piece to the September 11 attacks on the United States. It felts as though I was on autopilot watching the CNN coverage of the planes flying into the towers. Wow!

Absalom and Achitophel - Is Absalom and Achitophel propoganda? why/why not?

I think it was definitely a political propoganda. A few things jumped out at me while I read....just to list a few:

Pg. 2215 - The Careful Devil is still at hand with means/ And providently pimps for ill desires/ The Good old cause revived a Plot requires./ Plots, true or false, are necessary things,/ To raise up comonwealths and ruin kings.
- This refers to the issues with the Popish Plot and the fears of the Catholic Church overthrowing government as a whole.
Pg. 2217 - So several factions from this first ferment/ work up to foam, by their friends, more by themselves thought wise,/ opposed the power to which they could not rise.
-Once again a referral to the Popish Plot.

A Description of a City Shower

Jonathan Swift is definitely rated as my personal favorite poet from the eighteenth century. So what if he didn't think he accomplished much, he did an excellent job capturing what real life was like during the Restoration Period through his works of literature. "A Description of a City Shower" is funny. While he discusses the nastiness of a rain shower in London. While most would think rain provides an excellent cleansing of the city, in London this is not the case. He warns everyone not to go far when the rain begins because it was not wise to be stuck trying to wade through the "mud." Then the storm comes. Sewage, dead animals, pollution, and garbage flood the streets as the Thames River and the drainage ditches back up into the city. This beatiful rain shower has turned into a nasty mess. Swift mocks a beau stuck in the middle of the street in his box chair and not able to get out of the mud without getting dirty. He also mocks the Whigs and the Tories, who should be arguing about politics, but instead are working together to save their whigs. At the end of the poem and rain storm, when the sun should be shining, instead there is all sorts of gross items just laying in the street to either be left or to be moved back into the river.

This poem fits so perfectly into the eighteenth century with its satirical way of describing a rain shower in London. Swift's works were most often satires that critiqued society in one way or another. This one not only critiques the cleanliness of the city but also how social status was so important. The beau was being carried around in a chair on a couple guys shoulders but when the muck came out he was no better than the guys that were carrying him, in fact he was worse off. What a great poem!

Is there a constructive purpose to the satire in "The Country Wife?"

I'm not sure if the purpose of the satire was necessarily constructive, but it did make a fine point. Society was so uppity and perfect, this pointed out one big, fat flaw - it's over-sexuality. England was one big walking disease and it was so normal for someone to have gonorrhea or syphilis - these STD's are not normal and should not be considered normal. They are nasty diseases and were spreading like wild fire. Wycherly felt the need to let people know how common and yet disgusting it was for these people to be breeding like flies. He pointed out the fact that sexuality was a fact of society and also brought forward the question of morality. Is it really moral to be sleeping with other individuals when they are married or when you are married yourself, or worse, both? No.

Also, women were made out to be so naive and dumb in The Country Wife. Their only concerns were with their own beauty, the gossip of the town, and their own reputation. Men treated women the way one would expect them to be treated, they were treated as possessions and arm ornaments rather than wives and confidantes. Although the women's rights movement had not started yet, I want to know why. There is no reason why women should allow themselves to be treated as possessions and toys when they are so much more.

Discuss the merging of Love and Money in Moll Flanders

As I was reading this novel it became quite clear to me and actually began to bother me that everything I did was based on money. One problem, I had no idea the difference between a pound, a schilling, and a guinea. It really bothered me that every action was based on money. Marriages were based on money and how much "fortune" the other person would bring into the marriage and if that person lied they would both be "quite undone." True money does make the world go round and true it is hard to live with little or no money even today, but life is not just about money. Before Moll fell in love she would first do a bit of an investigation on the other's wealth and history of how he spent it. Money was somewhat of an issue to me when I was getting married, I wanted to be sure I was going to be financially stable, but I did not base all of my feelings on my husband's bank accounts. I understand that money does play a huge roll in everyones life, but should it have played this big of a roll? Then when money did fall into someones hands, they wasted it. Moll was so concerned with looking rich the money she had was never enough. Money isn't all there is in life. By basing their entire livelihood on money they missed out on a lot of what is actually important: love and relationships.

Does Evelina fit the characteristics of the modern novel?

There was definitely a development of characters in Evelina versus that of Moll Flanders. I think I enjoyed Moll Flanders a lot more, maybe it was the structure of the novel as letters - who knows. I just did not care at all for it. In Evelina we are given the opportunity to become attached to Evelina and the other characters. We hear about her loves, her fears, and all of the more complex feelings she has rather than the surface problems that Moll exhibited in Moll Flanders.

Another characteristic of the modern novel that Evelina definitely fits in with is the length of the prose. While reading the novel I had trouble due to the length. I kept wondering when it was going to end. Not a good thing to wonder about when reading a novel. It was very lengthy.

This novel was also one that was aimed at the middle class. This was not a loftyone and it somewhat addressed real issues (even though they seemed a little bit odd). Along with this is the "formal realism" characteristic. The whole time while reading I kept comparing the novel with V.C. Andrews. Right when things begin to look up for poor Evelina, things go down again much like the V.C. andrews novels. Incest, love, disownment, you name it - it was there. Considering the raunchy V.C. Andrews is probably my favorite writer - that would be the only reason I would consider Evelina enjoyable.

Just didn't care a whole lot for it. It was long and rambly and the letter format was a bit tough to get into - maybe this is because I just did not have time to read the novel as in depth as I would have liked.

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen is one author that I have never read until now and by reading Northanger Abbey, I can not say that I have any desire to read another one of her works. This may be a novel defending "the novel," but so what. I found myself angry at the characters for having nothing better to worry about than the dance that was supposed to take place that evening or for missing a walk with some friends. There are so many bigger problems in life than this. Catherine needed to step it up a notch if she truly was concerned for her future and to whom she would be married. She did not work all that hard at finding her future husband. She had her nose stuck in her Gothic novels through the entire novel and lived life by the books. She was not sure where to draw the line between reality and her imagination. She lived life through her imagination. I really do not think that anyone is actually this naive. The unimportance and simplicity of their problems was irritating to me. True this novel followed the general theme of the individual becoming a little more important, but their entire life was spent trying to insure their status in society much like that of the 18th century. I just really did not enjoy Austen's ramblings about the Gothic novel and the importance of the novel and the importance of finding a husband..yada ...yada...yada.

The Lamb and The Tyger

"The Lamb" and "The Tyger" are two poems that definitely work hand in hand. While "The Lamb" is one that praises the Lord for such an amazing work of art in the lamb. It is much like the memorization of a catechism that the children had to memorize for the church, beginning with a question from the teacher and ending in an answer from the child. At this point the narrator is innocent and praises a loving caring God. "The Tyger" is the complete opposite. This poem is bold and notices the massiveness of the tiger. Unlike the form of "The Lamb," "The Tyger" is all questions as though the narrator is to fearful to answer the foreboding question. What kind of god can make a tiger? What kind of god can make hate and fear and pain? This narrator has experienced a lot and is quite fearful of what he has experienced. This poem also points out that not everything is what it seems. The tiger is so beautiful and seems as though it should be a big, cuddly kitty cat, but instead it is a dangerous animal not to messed with.

The Romantic Period was a time when most people were trying to find their true self rather than focusing on the individual. From "The Lamb" to "The Tyger," the narrator is on a journey to find an answer and by the latter of the two the narrator does not necessarily want to even think about the answer. What kind of God can make a tiger?

The Rape of the Lock

"The Rape of the Lock" is not on the top of my list of favorites but shows an excellent satire, once again making it a great example of a Restoration Period work. This poem exhibits all the traditional elements of an epic while exhibiting a strong satire on a real argument that occurred between two families that Alexander Pope actually knew. There is an invocation of Muse, action of the deities, an epic prophecy, an arming for battle, a sacrifice to the gods, an inspirational speech, a warrior count, a battle or single combat, an epic banquet or feast, and a descent into the underworld to retrieve some sort of treasure. "The Rape of the Lock" does all of these things except the entire poem is about a man that wants to cut off a piece of a beautiful woman's hair, she gets mad and there is a huge fight that happens afterward because he does cut if off (the sad thing is, he does not get to keep the lock of hair and is actually stabbed by a hair pin - true irony). What Pope said in "The Rape of the Lock" needed to be said to those two families feuding over a minor lock of hair that was cut off, but this story goes to show you how vain society was during the eighteenth century.

MacFlecknoe

HAHA! This one is quite funny! Yet another satire but this one is great. John Dryden follows the satirical theme, among many other writers, but this one is mean. Thomas Shadwell was a terrible writer, both in plays and in poetry, and he was a hit. Dryden wanted to be sure everyone understood that his works are definitely not considered good literature. Throughout the entire poem Dryden plays with the formatting to make a parallel with Shadwell to Shit by writing Sh---. The readers can fill in the blank with the Sh word of their choice. Although this poem seems terribly mean, Dryden is making an excellent point. He tells the reader exactly what Shadwell does not have in his works while implying what constitutes a truly good work. Satires have a point to make, even ones that are as mean as this one. He says that all works of poetry should be: traditional, balanced in views, intelligent, proper poetic form, effective emotions, insightful satire, and should be sophisticated or learned.

A Modest Proposal

Once again, Jonathan Swift is my favorite restoration writer thus far. "A Modest Proposal" is so real. Swift does an excellent job at making his works seem like the real deal and in fact his suggestions seem absolutely absurd. What is even more absurd is the way the Irish were being treated by the English and that is the point Swift is trying to make. They really had no other options in making money but to sell their children to help in feeding the rest of the family. He makes a pretty convincing argument as to why this plan makes so much sense, when in reality it is as far from sensible as any could be. Swift not only makes an excellent satirical argument (very common in eighteenth century works) but he also comes up with some real suggestions. He asks the land lords, as well as everyone else, to show some mercy - these people really could not pay their rent. He tells the Irish to stay in Ireland and support the economy in Ireland by avoiding buying foreign goods. These are not his only suggestions, but symbolize an even better idea than eating babies and selling them for boots and hand gloves. Swift fits so well into the eighteenth century literature with his masterful satirical works, Kudos to Swift!

Holy Sonnet 14

My blog may begin to sound as if I never like anything. I am not a poetry person. I do not enjoy poetry for no reason other than the childish I just do not like it. Although I dislike poetry, Donne's Holy Sonnet #14 was not all bad. Never would I have thought that a poem about a relationship with God could seem like a raunchy sex poem. It reads as a risque dirty work but it is so very clean. Donne is calling for God to take him over completely, protect him, become a part of him, but yet do not let him get away with anything. What a poem!

At a time when most works were of Christain background Holy Sonnet #14 fits in well with others, but in a stand-out way. Well done, Donne.

Henry IV

At the beginning of Henry IV I was bored. I may be the only English major that does not fully enjoy reading Shakespeare, but I do not like it. I am just not a fan. It could be that I struggle with reading it or maybe I rush through it but I I have never enjoyed his writing. To enjoy Shakespeare I usually need somebody much wiser than I to interpret the work into terms that make sense to me. Obviously my hand was not held through the play, but after finishing and reviewing the play, I don't hate it. I am still not to the thoroughly enjoyed it stage but I understand it.

I did have a favorite plot line. Prince Hal's battle between fun Hal and Prince Henry is a battle everyone goes through at some point in their life - stuck between who they want to be and who someone else wants them to be. Hal and I have one thing in common. The person/people wanting us to be someone else was our parent(s). I can relate to Hal. He wanted to be fun Hal - the bar-cruising, fun loving guy and his father wanted him to be the heir to the throne and the true prince. Shakespeare and I may not necessarily get along but we had a connection in Henry IV.

When asked what I know about the Rennaissance my answer is always William Shakespeare. The man was lucky to have lived in the rebirth of the arts and to have access ot his own theatre. Henry IV is a historical play framing what actually happened during the time with King Henry. Because of the timeline within the play, Henry IV fits perfectly in the Rennaissance period.

The Fairy Queen

I typically enjoy a story with a knight in shining aromor, a fairy princess, and a slayed dragon. Althought "The Fairy Queen" seems to be only that, it is not. Edmund Spenser as a writer made an excellent choice to write about a topic everybody loves: a hero in battle with an evil dragon and a beautiful princess. Although it may seem to be as shallow as a simple story, once again, it is not. I enjoyed Spencer's work as a religous allegory. Uncoincidentally, the knight or Holinesse (hmm...did I say a religous allegory?) is working to find a true life of faith versus a sinful life.

As a writer during a confusing and chaotic time within the whole Christian Church Spenser illustrated a struggle most individuals were having very clearly. Though it may have been a religous story with political issues woven into it, the story was completely enjoyable.

The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath is a great woman. As much as I disliked Morte D' Arthur I enjoyed The Wife of Bath's prologue, what a gal! Not only was this woman funny but she was down to earth. She expressed so many of the issues that many of us have today. I thoroughly enjoyed her honesty and her complete lack of tact. The Wife of Bath does not hide any of her past experiences, in fact she points out that if any one knows what marriage should be it's her because she's tried five times. I loved the biblical references (the woman at the well), even though she may have misinterpreted it completely. The Wife is completely honest and who couldn't love her?

I read the Canterbury tales in high school and loved them then. Geoffrey Chaucer could not have written a better critique on society and its values. The Wife of Bath is almost a joke making fun of the idea that a proper woman may have had so many husbands. She does not claim to hide the idea that she married for money the first couple of times, she points out the fact that they were her best marriages - the men were rich and old and would soon die. The next ones were not that easy, but yet they too died.

The Wife of Bath's Prologue has so far been my favorite piece this semester. It was completely enjoyable and quite easy to read, despite the language barrier. It fit very well into the time period in which it was written. The Canterbury Tales as a whole focussed on the religous controversies at the time and on politics. Chaucer used excellent form and pattern. This work fits in well with the others of the time.

Morte D' Arthur

This may be considered a classic, well it has to be or else it would not be included in the Norton Anthology, but to be honest - it bored me! Morte D' Arthur was a fairy tale. So maybe Sir Lancelot came to the rescue to save the beautiful queen and la de da. I just did not care for the story. It was long and drawn out, it really did not have any historical truths besides the ones that there really was a guy named Sir Lancelot and there really was a King Arthur and so on. As much as I was bored with the story, I did enjoy one part of it. Sir Lancelot kissed Guinevere. YAY!

Beowulf

All through high school I dreaded the year we would have to read Beowulf. Looking back on my senior year, when we did finally read the epic, I can understand why all upperclassmen had warned me about this long and uneventful poem. Maybe it was the way in which we read it, my own maturity level, or my insane hate for literature as a whole - I could not stand Beowulf. Upon the first day of class, when I noticed we were reading Beowulf, I was mortified. It was bad enough that I had already been forced to read the incredibly long and boring epic poem, but I was going to have to read it again. When I began reading Beowulf for the second time around I found myself intrigued and not annoyed with the slow plot. Beowulf turned out to be an amazing adventure (and crazy as it is) that I could not put down. I had to finish Beowulf in one sitting. Not only did I read the assigned sections, but I read the entire poem. I enjoyed every second of it.

Beowulf is an excellent historical account (not necessarily all true accounts) that kept my attention throughout its entirety. The author uses excellent descriptions not often thought of to describe every day things: for example, whale-road. This is also another story that battles with Pagan thoughts and Christian views. The author has many references to the scripture but also contradicts scripture in many ways. Lines 180-195 describe the perils anyone faces when they do not turn to the Lord for help. Lines 665-670 is also another reference to scripture. Beowulf relies on the Lord to help him while using his own strength to defeat Grendel. At first it seems as though the author is acknowledging the fact that Beowulf could have never defeated Grendel without the aid of the Lord, but at a closer reading the author is saying that it was the Lord that allowed Beowulf the strength to get up after which he defeated Grendel. Many of these scripture references are made and yet it is very easy to tell that Christianity is still so new and not all have given their full trust to Christ.

Beowulf also shows an awesome account of the way of life at the time. The importance of community and the importance of trusting that community. If individuals did not have a community to which they belonged they were doomed to be extinguished. At this time there were wars and many tribes over taking each other all battling to have the most land. Going along with community, the act of loyalty was also an important factor in the lives during The Old Ages. Individuals were loyal to the family and also to the community as a whole to which they belonged. Loyalty was addressed during the fight with the dragon. While Beowulf was fighting the dragon and slowly giving in, many men ran for their own safety while one man, Wiglaf, shows his true loyalty to both Beowulf and his community. Wiglaf stepped up to the challenge of fighting the dragon and helping in the possibility of survival for Beowulf. Wiglaf showed true loyalty. Also, another important element shown in Beowulf is heroism. Beowulf was a hero that stepped in to intervene and save a community from not one monster, but three! Beowulf is an amazing story that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely read again. The upperclassmen that warned me about this long, slow-moving epic did not truly capture the excitement and strong plot that it exhibits.

This also fits very well into the time period. Beowulf is all about heros and heroic scenes. There is definite focus on the pas and on ancestors. Each person exists because of the ancestors and is introduced into the story by who their family is. Definitely no playfullness in this epic, it is all about battle and courage.

The Dream of the Rood

Torn between the Pagan way of thought and the Christian way of the thought the writer of "The Dream of the Rood" wrestles with what the cross Christ was hung on was feeling, experiencing, and battling during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I found it very interesting the cross described himself as "...stained with sins, wounded with wrongdoings..." Christians are, no doubt, sinners and many acts committed are often wrongdoings. The cross then recognizes that Christ was "....adorned with garments, decked with gold..." and yet underneath all of the beauty, Christ was aching and full of pain. Christ indeed was aching and full of pain, feeling let down by all of humanity while fulfilling his Father's plans. The author focuses on the idea that Christ was a heroic figure and not the weak creature he is often depicted as. Rather than being forced onto the cross, the author speaks of Christ leaping on to the cross readily. Rather than asking why, Christ gladly takes on the roll as a sacrifice for all of mankind. The author portrays Christ to be the hero he truly is and gives him the praise he deserves.

The Dream of the Rood definitely fits into the time period. There is a huge emphasis on heroes, as said before it is thought that Jesus is the hero. There is a definite absence of romance and playfulness, it's quite dull and kind of a downer. There is a fusion of Christian and Pagan elements. It is as if they are still trying to figure out how to make Christianity work in their lives. The cross takes on a personality is one prime example. It also addressed the courage that Christ had when he lept up on the cross and took on the role of hero