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!