Poetry conventions Flashcards
1
Q
Give the dates of the Renaissance
A
1485-1660
2
Q
Summarise the renaissance
A
- rebirth of culture, art and wealth
- British renaissance e manifested itself in the poetry drama of the elizabethan age
- new emphasis on humanism and individuality - birth of the individual
- this was reflected in Wyatt’s adaptation of the Petrarchan sonnet
3
Q
give the sociopolitical developments that influenced renaissance love poetry
A
- writers and poets were able to explore ideas about love without being as heavily critiqued
- desire for freedom/political discontent expressed
- covered Elizabethan period and Jacobean period.
- world view shifts from after life and religion to one stressing human life on earth.
- popular theme = development of human potential.
- aspects of love explored
- became increasingly secular
- peaceful time after the wars of the roses
4
Q
Give Renaissance attitudes to love as conveyed in poetry
A
- poetry explored conventional love and was written o explore feelings
- love was presented as an overpowering force of passion
- poetry was seen to immortalise love, thus themes of love and eternity were explored. The key aim of the renaissance poets was to explore how love triumphs over death
- challenged and subverted the conventions of love
- explored themes of transience, time’s passing, impermanence, and the ever-changing nature of love
5
Q
give features of renaissance poetry
A
- Sonnet form - sonnet invented by Petrarch, developed by others eg shakespeare
- surge in completative/devotional verse
6
Q
describe a sonnet
A
- 14 lines
- iambic pentameter
- standardised rhyme scheme
- tightly structured thematic organisation
- volta or thematic shift
7
Q
describe iambic pentameter
A
foot = iamb (unstressed syllable followed by stressed syllable (a-bove)
Pentameter - a line of five feet
The stress pattern of iambic pentameter can be used to emphasize certain words or ideas, giving the text a sense of importance and weight
- sounds like a heartbeat - signifies love
8
Q
describe the Petrarchan sonnet
A
octave, sestet (8,6) with iambic pentameter, less clear rhyming couplets than Shakespearean sonnets.
9
Q
Describe the Shakespearean sonnet
A
3 quatrains and a rhyming couplet (4,4,4,2). iambic pentameter, rhyming couplets.
10
Q
give the dates of the metaphysical period
A
1600-1690
11
Q
give the socio-political developments influencing metaphysical love poetry
A
- civil and political upheaval
- new patterns of thought - anxiety as old certainties faded
- medieval moved increasingly to modern
12
Q
give the metaphysical attitudes to love
A
- it was a common theme
- Donne: love was an expression of existence, lovers became almost spiritual figures
- they had a philosophical outlook on nature
- emotion juxtaposed with logic and reason
13
Q
give the stylistic conventions of metaphysical poetry
A
- complex, original and often shocking conceits
- looser meter
- exploration of philosophical topics
- greater emphasis on spoken, lyrical quality of verse
- elaborate imagery
- colloquial language used to explore these big ideas
- can be seen as a reaction against overblown romantic courtly ideals of courtly poetry (like Petrarch)
14
Q
when was the cavalier period
A
17th century
15
Q
describe the sociopolitical developments influencing cavalier love poetry
A
- aimed to promote the crown
- reaction to the end of puritanism
- cavaliers were English poets who supported Charles 1 - eg Lovelace
- ## aimed to reflect the Court’s luxurious values within their work , poetry often designed to appease the king’s specific tastes
16
Q
give the cavalier attitudes to love
A
- playful and teasing
-lighthearted - victory attained by multiple relationships
- accepts the ideas of the renaissance gentleman
- poetry celebrated life and love, enjoying oneself rather than answering philosophical questions
- reflected hedonism of the new court and instant gratification in its attitudes to love
- Carpe diem
17
Q
give the stylistic conventions of cavalier poetry
A
- aimed to express joy and simple gratification of celebratory things
- witty
- relaxed morality
- didn’t explore the NATURE of love, took a much more superficial approach
- avoided philosophical topics
- emphasis on liviing in the present
- simple, concise verses - typically avoid complex meters and rhyme schemes
- classical/biblical allusions intended to impress Charles I
- Cavaliers aimed to show that poetry didn’t need to be profound to be pleasing and that its value could be determined purely by its aesthetic beauty
18
Q
give the approximate dates of the restoration
A
1660-1700
19
Q
give Restoration attitudes to love
A
- strong emphasis on wit, satire, and the exploration of social class and politics.
- celebration to restored Court of Charles I
- advocated for sexual freedom in response to hedonism - Charles II had numerous mistresses
- topic of love treated with irony
20
Q
give the stylistic conventions of restoration love poetry
A
- odes, pastoral poetry,
- rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter
- ## focus on reason and logic, at one extreme religious and reflective, at the other sexual.
21
Q
when was the romantic period?
A
- 1798-1832
22
Q
give the sociopolitical developments that influenced Romantic poetry
A
- major societal change led to dissatisfied intellectuals and artists challenging the establishment
- poets believed that they were chosen to guide others through tempestuous periods of change
- physical confrontation: the French Revolution
- industrial revolution
23
Q
give the Romantic attitudes to love
A
- ‘free love’ movement saw marriage as slavery
- placed an emphasis on feelings
- evils were contributed to society instead of human nature. (societal critics like Blake) children praised for purity and victims of exploitation + poverty
24
Q
give the stylistic conventions of Romantic poetry
A
- importance of imagination as having an almost healing power and enabling people to transcend their troubles
- examined ideas about mortality and nature
- emphasis on individual liberties
- referenced Middle Ages mythology
- dominant literary form was almost conversational poetry
- a focus on self, interest in imagination - as a reaction to the scientific rational focus of enlightenment period thinking. used natural imagery, a focus on the ‘sublime’. some Gothic elements introduced, a reaction against elitism of earlier poets - romantic poetry was accessible
-dissatisfied intellectuals and artists challenged the establishment and industrial revolution (hence challenging rational thought) caused praise for nature and natural imagery. Key poets denounced the exploitation of poor and imposed religious control in society.
-
25
describe Blake's songs of innocence and experience
juxtaposed the innocent, pastoral world of childhood against an adult world of repression and corruption (many poems in innocence have pair poems in experience - impact of life/society, situations seen through lens of experience)
26
give the approximate date of the Victorian period
1939-1901
27
describe the sociopolitical developments that influenced love poetry
- revolution of art and science
- industrial revolution
- socialism/liberalism
- conflict between those in power and common masses. shocking life of workhouses and urban poor was highlighted in literature (Hardy for example) heroines in physical danger, aristocratic villains (Alec link Tess D'urbervilles).
- ritish empire was at its peak, stories of exotic places, colonialism. Era = marked by upheaval in almost every aspect of life - technological changes, religious upheaval following change, inequality in classes, poetry became more accessible.
28
Describe Victorian attitudes to love
- A wife's role was to provide for her husband
- sex outside of marriage was frowned upon
29
give the stylistic conventions in Victorian poetry
- realism
- exploring different styles - lon narrative poetry and dramatic monologues
- a new wave of poetry influenced by romantic predecessors, but distinctly different; focus on sensory elements - Victorians viewed nature as more realistic and had less idealistic perspectives in comparison to Romantics. - more down to earth.
30
what were the approximate dates of the Decadent era
late 19th century, 1880s
31
describe the sociopolitical developments influencing Decadent love poetry
- a movement led by the belief in 'art for art's sake', and nostalgia rather than to fulfil a moral purpose
- Fin de Siecle - this concept embodies a weariness with eh corruption and failures of Victorian society. The poor suffered due to the industrial revolution
- the Decadent imagination developed around social.intellectual instability caused by an ethic of production vs profit and the secularising influence of citiies
- it was a perverse reaction to conventional values
- rejected conventional morality and social norms, instead celebrating beauty, pleasure, and individual experience — even when those experiences were tinged with decay, corruption, and moral ambiguity.
32
describe the stylistic conventions of decadent poetry
- poets supposedly valued artifice more than the romantic
- challenged traditional values, foregrounding sensuality and promoting artistic, sexual and political experimentation
- contrast/juxtaposition
- contempt for prevailing attitudes
- classical allusions
- artificial imagery
33
describe Decadent attitudes to love
- Love was often seen as a form of theatricality or performance, where authenticity was less important than the aesthetic experience of romance
- Decadent love emphasized physical beauty and sensual pleasure over emotional connection or moral responsibility.
- Love was frequently linked to moral and physical decline
- Love was sometimes portrayed as perverse or unnatural, embracing a fascination with the morally ambiguous and the taboo
- Love was idealized as a source of artistic inspiration, but emotional commitment was often viewed with skepticism.
- Love was often portrayed as inherently doomed or tragic - fleeting, destined to decay §
34
when was the Modernist period
1900-1930
35
describe the sociopolitical influences on Modernism
rejection of history and outdated social systems, effects of two world wars on humanity.
- post-war wearinessi
36
give conventions of modernism
- explored breakdown of social norms, realistic embodiment of meanings and senses, despairing individuals, spiritual loneliness, evokes feelings of frustrations
- poetry, free verse, epiphanies begin to emerge in literature. stream of consciousness. literature attempts to search for truths and meanings behind life.
