UNIT 5: THE RESTORATION AND

THE ENLIGHTENMENT 1660–1798

English 12A

Class Website

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Unit Objectives

Read and analyze selections from the Restoration and the Enlightenmentperiod.

Identify and analyze elements of diary, mock epic, satire, and elegy.

Classify information about the historical, social, and cultural context of the Restoration and the Enlightenment.

Review verbs

Texts and Authors

Samuel Pepys’ The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock

Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal

Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

How much power and authority did the monarchy and the nobility have?

How was the system of government different from the political system of the United States today?

What authority do the President and Congress have in the United States?

UNIT ASSIGNMENTSFor this unit please focus on the readings and activities within the lessons.

There will be Quick Checks for vocabulary and grammar and a quiz based upon the readings.

The unit test is vocabulary and grammar heavy with serval questions regarding the readings and its elements.

Discussion (U5L4) – DROPPED

It will still show up in your lessons, but know that you are NOT doing the discussion.

Portfolio (U5L6 & L9) – DROPPED

It will still show up in your lessons, but know that you are NOT doing the portfolio. Instead, focus on redoing any final draft portfolio.

ENLIGHTENMENT AKA THE AGE OF REASON

The Enlightenment is also called the Age of Reason because during this period people began to use scientific reasoning rather than superstition to understand the natural world around them.

It was a time of great scientific discoveries and started preaching religious tolerance, democracy, and critical thinking.

In literature, authors put an emphasis on cleverness and wit and challenged the assumptions of the ruling classes through satires that often called for more equality and social justice.

Political Turmoil

The Glorious Revolution; England becomes a constitutional monarchy; etc.

Inequality and Social Issues

The Black Death; the Fire of London; Industrialization; etc.

The Scientific Revolution

The scientific method; Isaac Newton's laws of motions; etc.

The Age of Reason

Philosophy or reason and democracy; self-governing ideals; etc.

The Restoration and the Enlightenment

Classic Inspiration

Inspiration from the Greek classics; ideals of harmony and proportion; etc.

LITERARY ELEMENTS

You will need to know the elements of diary, mock epic, satire, and elegy.

Diary The entries are in chronological order and are introduced by the date they were written.

They retell events from the author's perspective.

Written in first-person point of view, using pronouns such as I and me.

Mock Epic A long narrative poem that imitates elements of an epic to make fun of frivolous characters and trivial events.

Instead of chronicling the brave exploits of a courageous hero, a mock epic might feature a silly nobleman who postures and primps his way though life.

Satire A literary genre that ridicules its subject and at the same time exposes its flaws, often with the purpose of provoking change.

It pokes fun at a human behavior in order to bring about change.

Elegy A lyric poem, formal in style and serious in tone, that focuses on death or loss.

THE DIARY OF SAMUEL PEPYS BY SAMUEL PEPYS PAGE 527-534

Samuel Pepys (1633–1703) The son of a London tailor who rose from obscurity to become one of the most powerful men in England. As

Secretary of the Admiralty, Pepys (pronounced peeps) doubled the size of the Royal Navy, making it the strongest in the world.

He also served in England’s Parliament and led the Royal Society, a circle of scientists that included Sir Isaac Newton.

His contribution to the world of literature was his diary, which he kept from 1660 to 1669. Writing in coded shorthand, he never intended this personal account to be published. Many years after his death, the diary was discovered and deciphered. Sections of it were first published in 1825.

His language is simple and direct; yet he is a natural observer with a curious mind, and his diary teems with fascinating details.

The diary also contains many allusions, or references, to people and places in seventeenth-century London. For example, he mentions “the Tower” without explaining that he means the Tower of London, a famous London landmark and former prison that was a short walk from his home.

THE RAPE OF THE LOCK BY ALEXANDER POPEPAGES 538-549

Alexander Pope (1688–1744) A Roman Catholic in a Protestant country who was unable to receive a college education, so he educated

himself by reading the classics.

One of the best-known satirists of the early eighteenth century.

Standing only four feet, six inches tall, he suffered from a deformed spine and poor health throughout his life. The strength he lacked in his physical body, he made up for with his bold, energetic writing.

Pope used poetic forms, such as the mock epic, to present his observations about humanity. In doing so, he not only poked fun at upper-class English society, but also at literary tradition.

The Rape of the Lock Describes how a lock of hair is cut off and stolen from young Belinda by an ardent baron.

Pope’s lofty diction and descriptive details give the poem its humorous edge.

You might be thinking that rape is a very bleak subject for a poem, but in Pope’s time, the most common meaning was synonymous with abduction.

Portions of what you are about to read include a summary or parallel text on facing pages. Read the original text first and then use the summary or parallel text to check your comprehension.

A MODEST PROPOSAL BY JONATHAN SWIFTPAGES 566-585

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)

The greatest satirist in the English language.

Born and educated in Ireland, he moved to England, where he was ordained as an Anglican priest and began to write pamphlets, magazine articles, and books.

Swift returned to Ireland and became dean of Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1713.

A Modest Proposal

A harsh attack on social conditions in Ireland.

He presents himself as a wealthy Dubliner, a persona who fancies himself to be humane and caring, but whose words and tone betray him.

Children are referred to as carcasses; mothers are breeders.

The reader becomes aware that this proposal is not at all modest and is certainly no solution to suffering.

Portions of A Modest Proposal include parallel text on facing pages. Read the original text first. When you encounter unfamiliar language, use the context to decipher the meaning, then use the parallel text to check your comprehension.

ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD BY THOMAS GRAY PAGES 597-602

Thomas Gray (1716–1771)

As a boy, Gray’s mother sent him to boarding school to escape an abusive father.

Gray went to Cambridge where he studied the classics and began to write poetry. His poetic output was fairly small due to his harsh self-criticism and perfectionism.

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

The speaker meditates on nature and human mortality and uses imagery evoking death, sadness, and solitude.

Notice the overall atmosphere of the poem and how the themes of death and loss are conveyed.

His somber mood is created not only by his diction, but also by the sounds of the words he chooses. To create a mournful tone, Gray repeatedly uses words with a long o sound.

QUESTIONS?

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