Renaissance literature -1

Assignment- Paper 1. Renaissance Literature 

Name – Bharti M. Dharaiya 

Sem - 1

Roll. No. -4

Enrollment  no. – 206910842020008

Assignment Topic –Prose writers of the Elizabeth age and their notable work

Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad sir

                    Department of English 

                M. K. Bhavnagar University

Introduction :

The Elizabeth age is time period after the reigns of Eward and Mary in 1550 to 1620. Elizabeth age is also known as golden age in English History, in Milton’s words.

The National life is concerned with the literary students. if any one notice that any great development of the national life is associated with a development of national literature. There is enough for our purpose , there is point out two facts: 

 Elizabeth with all her vanity and inconsistency, steadily love England and England’s greatness.

She inspired all her people with the patriotism.

What is prose?

Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech and ordinary grammatical rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry. Normal everyday speech is spoken in prose and most of people think and write it in prose form.

Prose Divide into two parts :

1. Fiction for example short story, Novels etc.
2. Non-Fiction for example report, letter, article, essay etc.

Prose writer of the Elizabethan Age:

1. Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)
2. Richard Hooker (1554 - 1600)
3. Sir Philip Sidney( 1554 - 1586)
4. Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 -1618)
5. John Foxe (1516 - 1587)
6. Camden and Purchas 
7. Thomas North  

They were great scholars who contributed a great deal to the enrichment of English prose.

1. Francis Bacon :

  

Francis Bacon was born on 1561. Die on 1626. He was the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon. Bacon was an English philosopher, the great philosophical work which was never finished. If any reader should be interested to apply a great man’s philosophy ho his / her own life, he will find the essay “Of Great Place’’ is most interesting in this connection. He was scientist. He wrote scientific articles, the essay, experimented largely, wrote history, scientific novels.

       He was use expression in his work, so it is a characteristic of Elizabeth age that he “had taken all knowledge for his province.” Bacon was successful lawyer Bacon was take the study of law and then written on that time “On the Greatest Birth of Time’’ which is a plea for his system of philosophy. His famous plea he demanded three things: 

      - The Free investigation of nature

      - The discovery of facts of theory

      - The verification of result rather than                 arguments.

Work of Bacon:

Bacon’s Philosophical work:

1. The Advancement of Learning (Partition of Science)
2. Novum Organum (New method)
3. Instauratio Magna
4. The Great Institution of True Philosophy
5. Valerius Terminus : of the Interpretation of Nature
6. History of life and death

Religious and Literary works

1. The New Atlantis
2. Essays 
3. The Wisdom of the Ancients
4. Masculine Birth of Time 
5. Meditations Sacramento
6. Theological Tracts
7. An Advertisement Touching a Holy War

Bacon’s philosophical work

s are The Advancement of Learning and the Novun which is the best understood in connection with the Instauratio Manga. The Institution of True Philosophy has parts. The Instauratio was Uncompleted work.  Idea of the work was Splendid.

His Notable work :

The Insturatio Magna: 

This was the most Aspiring , through it is not the best one of Bacon’s work. It was divided in to six parts as follow:

1. Partition of the science (De Augment science)
2. New Method ( Novum Organum)
3. Naturall History (Historian Natuarlis)
4. Ladder of the Intellect ( Scala Intellectus) 
5. Anticipations of the 2nd philosophy (Anticipations philosophy secunda)
6. The Second Philosophy or Active science ( Philosophia Secunda aut Science Acive)

2. Richard Hooker (154-1600) 

In strong prose Bacon is Richard Hooker. He was one the greatest prose writers of the Elizabethan age. Hooker, taking single theme, the law and practice taking the English Church. His one great work is “The laws of Ecclesiastical Polity’’. In his work found theology and stateliness of the English language. Richard Hooker was great prose writer. His work is different than others work. 

Richard Hooker’s works:

1. The Laws of Ecclesiastical policy
2. Sermons

3. Sir Philip Sidney (1554 – 1586) :

Sir Philip Sidney was born on 1552. Die on 1586. Who has already been considered as a poet, also known as a great prose writer by his prose works, He was also author of prose fiction.

His prose works :

1. Arcadia 
2. Defence of poesie (one of our earliest literary essays)

Sidney, whom the poet Shelley has eulogized. Represents the whole romantic tendency of his age

4. Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 – 1618) 

Sir Walter Raleigh represents its adventurous spirit and activity. The life of Releigh is an almost weird mixture of the poet, scholar and adventure. He write history and poetry to comfort his captivity. His life in itself is a volume very interesting than anything that he was wrote. He was the troublous spirit of the Elizabethan Age is personify. Releigh works are Discoverie of Guiana, his work are not interesting enough had he told simply. His works filled with colonization schemes and visions of El Dorado. The History of the world, those work are written to his occupation in prison hours. It is interesting for his writing style. Which is very simple and reputable, and his wit and poetry that break into the imaginative combination of miracles, traditions, hearsay, and a state record which he called History. He was lived less and written more carefully.

5. John Foxe (1516 – 1587) 

John Foxe was born on 1516 and died on 1587. Foxe will be remembered always for his famous Book of Martyrs. John Foxe was a famous English Historian and Martyologist. He was an English writer and also wrote in latin. He had driven out of England by the Marian persecutions. He convince the idea of history of the persecution of church. Te part of relating to England and Scotland was published in Latin , in 1559

His work:

1. The Acts and Monuments (popularly known as Foxe’s book of Martyrs)

Foxe’s own experience causes him to write with more heart and emotion           than his saintly theme would warrant. He was humble men like Rowland Taylor and Thomas Hawkers.

6. Camden

He was Historian. He was stand out prominently towards the numerous historical writers of the Elizabethan Age. Britannia is a monumental work of Camden. Which arise the beginning of true research in the field of history. Annals of Queen Elizabethan is another worthy work of Camden, worthy of far higher than has far been given it.

7. John Knox

He was Historian and reformer. He was reformer in his History of the Reformation in Scotland. The personal and Aggressive elements are entered to strongly for a work of history.

8. Hakluyt and Purchas

Hakluyt (1552 – 1616) and Samuel Purchas (1575 – 1626). Two editors of this age have made foe themselves in our literature. Hakluyt was a clergyman. He was concerned himself deeply with the commercial interests of the East India Company, with Raleigh’s colonizing plans in Virginia. He made him familiar with the books and brief report of his own countrymen. 

His works:

1. Principal Navigations 
2. Voyages
3. Discoveries of the English Nation

His Principal Navigations, Voyages and Discoveries of the English Nation, in three volumes publish first in 1589. A second edition followed in 1598 -1600. The first edition tells about voyage to the north, the second to India and the East and third, which large as other two, to the New World. In the first volume, the first voyage which is founded on myth, all the voyages are authentic accounts of the explorers themselves. Other book of travels has so well expressed the spirit and energy of English race. He was better deserved a place in our literature.

Samuel Purchas, who was also a clergyman, continued the work of Hakluyt. His first famous book, Purchas, His Pilgrimage, appeared in 1613. And another book is Hakluytus Posthumus, Purchas His Pilgrimes in 1625. 

His work:

1. Purchas 
2. His Pilgrimage
3. Hakluytus Posthumus
4. Purchas His Pilgrames

9. Sir Thomas North (1535 – 1601) :

Sir Thomas North was an English justice of the peace. He was military officer and translator. He was a famous translator of Elizabethan age. He translated many books.

1. Reloj de Principes
2. Meditations of Marcus
3. Antithesis
4.  Euphues

His works :

1. Plutarch
2. The Morall Philosophie of Doni (known as The Fables of Bidpai).

In Thomas North’s translation we see many heroic models in our literature. He was the most inspiring interpreter of the great biographer whom Emerson calls  “the historian of heroism”.

Conclusion:

The Elizabethan Age is period which most regarded as greatest in the history of English literature. In the Elizabethan Age, at that time  very famous prose writer like Francis Bacon, Richard Hooker, John Foxe, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Raleigh, Camden and Knox, Richard Hakluyt and Samuel Purchas , Sir Thomas North , they all are great prose writer in the Elizabeth age . They were gave their enrichment of English Literature.

References – English literature by William J. Long.