Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Literature This period in literature is often called The Age of Enlightenment. Writers valued neoclassical values, embracing Greek and Roman aesthetics: clarity, restraint, reason, good sense. Horaces The Art of Poetry became the standard by which poetry was judged, thus putting primacy on poetry as the dominant literary form. Much of the poetry of the period was written in heroic couplets (pairs of rhymed iambic pentameter lines five stressed syllables per line) that showed moral and philosophical precepts.Puritans and Literature Puritans generally distrusted the imagination. Puritans disliked drama and the fantastic, satirical language of the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage. Theater pulls one away from reality; Puritans considered men playing womens roles on stage (typical of the period) unseemly.Forms of Puritan Literature Therefore there were no Puritan novels either. Puritan literature took the form of sermons and poetry. There was a huge amount of poetry, especially elegies with panegyric elements. Poetry thus became the means of codifying Puritan notions of ideal conduct, and a means of reaffirming social values. Poetry served a didactic purpose.

DesiderataPoems: Desiderata; Lochinvar; Tam O Shanter; Abou Ben Adhem and the Angel About the author: Max EhrmannBorn: September 26, 1872 Terre Haute, Indiana Died: September 9, 1945 (aged 72) Terre Haute, IndianaHe was an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana, widely known for his 1927 prose poem "Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired"). He often wrote on spiritual themes.Education Ehrmann was of German descent; both his parents emigrated from Bavaria in the 1840s. Young Ehrmann was educated at the Terre Haute Fourth District School and the German Methodist Church.He received a degree in English from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, which he attended from 1890 to 1894. While there, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta's Beta Beta chapter[3] and was editor of the school newspaper, Depauw Weekly.Ehrmann then studied philosophy and law at Harvard University, where he was editor of Delta Tau Delta's national magazine The Rainbow, circa 1896.LegacyEhrmann was awarded Doctor of Letters honorary degree from DePauw University in about 1937.He was also elected to the Delta Tau Delta Distinguished Service Chapter, the fraternity's highest alumni award.Ehrmann died in 1945. He is buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana.In 2010 the city honored Ehrmann with a life-size bronze statue by sculptor Bill Wolfe. He is depicted sitting on a downtown bench, pen in hand, with a notebook in his lap. "Desiderata" is engraved on a plaque that resides next to the statue and lines from the poem are embedded in the walkway. The sculpture is in the collection of Art Spaces, Inc. Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection.Art Spaces also holds an annual Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition.

Description: Desideratais a famous prose poem. It is a Latin word that means something needed or wanted. The mostcommon (buterroneous) info is that Desiderata is centuries old; was written by an anonymous authorprobably a monk; and was found inside a church in Baltimore in 1962.The fact is Desiderata was written in 1927 by an American lawyer and author, Max Ehrmann of Terre Haute, Indiana. It first became popular(though still largely unknown during the authors lifetime) when it was used as a devotional of the St. PaulsChurch congregation in Baltimore, Maryland. The devotional shows Old St. Pauls Church, Baltimore AD1962 and this could be how the myth began.Iturgespeople to see the beauty and troubles of the world through wise, hopeful andcompassionateeyes. It was mostly unknown in theauthors lifetime, but became well known after its use in an Anglican Church service, and after being found in 1965 at thedeathbedof former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson II. The poem became very well-known among the baby boom generation in the 1960s and 70s. Here is the text, followed by my modern English version, which is easier to understand.The poem: Desiderata

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste,and remember what peace there may be in silence.As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.Avoid loud and aggressive persons;they are vexatious to the spirit.If you compare yourself with others,you may become vain and bitter;for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.Keep interested in your own career, however humble;it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.Exercise caution in your business affairs;for the world is full of trickery.But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;many persons strive for high ideals;and everywhere life is full of heroism.Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.Neither be cynical about love,for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,it is as perennial as the grass.Take kindly the counsel of the years,gracefully surrendering the things of youth.Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.You are a child of the universe,no less than the trees and the stars;you have a right to be here.And whether or not it is clear to you,no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God,whatever you conceive Him to be,and whatever your labors and aspirations,in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerfulStrive to be happy

Translation of every stanza

Go calmly through a world of noise and fast livingand remember there is peace in silence.Without beinguntrueto yourself, try toget alongwith everyoneSay what you believe quietly and clearly, and listen to othersbecause everybody, no matter who they are, has a story.Avoid loud andaggressivepeople;theirannoyingbehavior canbring you down.If you compare yourself with others,you may becomeconceitedor hatefulbecause there will always be others who are better or worse than youEnjoy yourachievementsas well as your plans for the futureStay interested in your owncareer, even if you think its not very important;Youll be glad you have it when everything around you changes.Becautiouswhen you do business with peoplebecause the world is full of those who willtake advantage of you.But dont think theres no goodness out there;many people are trying to improve themselves;and all over the world people are doing whats right.Be yourself. Above all, dontpretendto love.Also, dont think love doesnt existbecause even when it seems that everything is getting worse,love is aseverlastingas the grass.Learn from yourexperiences,andlet go ofthe things you could only do when you were young.Learn to be strong if things should suddenly go wrong.But dont imagine the worse.Many fears are the product offatigueand loneliness.Apart from a healthydiscipline, be gentle with yourself.You are a child of theuniverse,no less than the trees and the stars;you havea rightto be hereAnd whether you know it or not,the universe is definitelyevolvingas it should.Therefore, be at peace with your God,whatever you think that is,and whatever you do and whatever you dreamin this noisy andconfusinglife, stay peaceful in yoursoul.

LochinvarAbout the author: Sir Walter Scott, 1st BaronetBorn15 August 1771College Wynd, Edinburgh, ScotlandDied21 September 1832 (aged 61)Abbotsford, Roxburghshire, ScotlandOccupation: Historical novelist; Poet; Advocate; Sheriff-Depute; Clerk of SessionSir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, FRSE (15 August 1771 21 September 1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet.Scott was the first English-language author to have a truly international career in his lifetime,[1] with many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.Although primarily remembered for his extensive literary works and his political engagement, Scott was an advocate, judge and legal administrator by profession, and throughout his career combined his writing and editing work with his daily occupation as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire.A prominent member of the Tory establishment in Edinburgh, Scott was an active member of the Highland Society and served a long term as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (182032).

Description: The poem "Lochinvar" by Sir Walter Scott is an interesting study in human relationships and power struggles between correct roles and duties. Its traditional form and apparently straightforward story masks an interesting power play. The relative activeness and passiveness of the characters allows for these interactions to take place."Lochinvar" is a balled with eight six line stanzas. The lines are in iambic tetrameter and are arranged in heroic couplets, three couplets per stanza. While the last couplet in each stanza always share the same rhyme and end with "Lochinvar," there appears to be no other organized rhyme scheme across the stanzas. Within the stanzas there is a consistent use of aabbccdd. The language used in the poem is primarily heroic and dealing with battle. For example, four of the eight couplets that end in "Lochinvar" also end in the word "war." In addition to this Lochinvar's descriptions include words like "dauntless" (line 5), "a gallant" (10), "bold' (13), "stately" (31), "daring" (47), and "a galliard," a man of courage and sprit. This heroic language is interesting because while there is challenge in the poem there is no battle or direct conflict.This language of conflict and challenge carries over into the descriptions and personality of the characters in the poem. The characters are divided into two groups; those who are active, and who conform to the language of battle and conflict, and those who are passive and ineffectual. Lochinvar, the young man who is the focal character, is the only one who remains in the active, dominant role. At the beginning of the poem, all of the characters have the potential to be proactive in what happens. However through their choices and actions, all but Lochinvar place themselves in a position of inactivity.Lochinvar's position as an active dominant person is reflected in everything that he does and how he is described. Along with the descriptive words mentioned above he is also described as young, faithful, solitary and stately. In the first stanza we are introduced to Lochinvar riding out of the west on his horse, which should be noted is described as the best horse in the land. This description, along with contributing to his worthiness and ideal characterization, is a bit of preparation and foreshadowing because later in the poem all the men from the clans cannot catch up to Lochinvar and Ellen. It is interesting because he is riding alone, a stoic and brave character, and it is also mentioned that he is armed only with his broad sword. This may suggest, as he states later in response to Ellen's father, that he is not going to Netherby expecting or intending to fight and also that he doesn't have any tricks "up his sleeves." Lines 5-9 further set Lochinvar up as an ideal character. He goes to all lengths to get the Netherby, stopping for nothing.Summary: The story of young Lochinvar, a gallant knight, is really a stirring one and a well written one. To summarize, we first see Lochinvar as he gallops upon his steed over the countryside. He carries his broadsword but wears no other weapon or armor:And save his good broadsword he weapons had none,He rode all unarmd, and he rode all alone.

We are told he was hastening on with a fury of rush to the castle of Netherby because within Ellen was to be wed to the wrong man: "a laggard in love, and a dastard in war." His uninvited entry to the bridal hall caused quite the tumult, for Ellen's father, ready to draw his sword, asked why he was there: was Lochinvar there to celebrate Ellen's wedding or to cause a riot of trouble?Here we learn that Lochinvar's suit for Ellen's hand was rejected by her father and that he has come to drink one goblet of wine and to dance one dance with Ellen by way of mourning and parting rather than by way of celebrating. In dread, this is allowed. Ellen hands him a cup with a kiss in it and with blush on her face. Then, before her mother can stop him, he takes Ellen's hand and they begin a dance.Amidst this tense scene, he leans and speaks something in her ear. When their dance has led them to the door, they run for it, jump upon his horse and fly away with all his charger's speed. Though all look and search for her, Ellen of Netherby is never seen again, nor is Lochinvar. [Interesting side note that it seems Jane Austen may have borrowed Netherby for Bingley's home, Netherfield, in Pride and Prejudice.]There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee,But the lost bride of Netherby neer did they see.So daring in love, and so dauntless in war,Have ye eer heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?

The poem: Lochinvar

O young Lochinvar is come out of the west,Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;And save his good broadsword he weapons had none,He rode all unarmd, and he rode all alone.So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

He staid not for brake, and he stoppd not for stone,He swam the Eske river where ford there was none;But ere he alighted at Netherby gate,The bride had consented, the gallant came late:For a laggard in love, and a dastard in war,Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.

So boldly he enterd the Netherby Hall,Among brides-men, and kinsmen, and brothers and all:Then spoke the brides father, his hand on his sword,(For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,)O come ye in peace here, or come ye in war,Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?

I long wood your daughter, my suit you denied;Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tideAnd now I am come, with this lost love of mine,To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.

The bride kissd the goblet: the knight took it up,He quaffd off the wine, and he threw down the cup.She lookd down to blush, and she lookd up to sigh,With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye.He took her soft hand, ere her mother could bar,Now tread we a measure! said young Lochinvar.

So stately his form, and so lovely her face,That never a hall such a galliard did grace;While her mother did fret, and her father did fume,And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume;And the bride-maidens whisperd, twere better by farTo have matchd our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.

One touch to her hand, and one word in her ear,When they reachd the hall-door, and the charger stood near;So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung,So light to the saddle before her he sprung!She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur;Theyll have fleet steeds that follow, quoth young Lochinvar.

There was mounting mong Graemes of the Netherby clan;Forsters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran:There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee,But the lost bride of Netherby neer did they see.So daring in love, and so dauntless in war,Have ye eer heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?

Tam O ShanterAbout the author: Robert Burns (25 January 1759 21 July 1796) (also known as Robbie Burns, Rabbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, Robden of Solway Firth, the Bard of Ayrshire and in Scotland as The Bard) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose"; "A Man's a Man for A' That"; "To a Louse"; "To a Mouse"; "The Battle of Sherramuir"; "Tam o' Shanter"; and "Ae Fond Kiss".Description: "Tam o' Shanter" is a narrative poem written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1790. First published in 1791, it is one of Burns's longer poems, and employs a mixture of Scots and English.The poem describes the habits of Tam, a farmer who often gets drunk with his friends in a public house in the Scottish town of Ayr, and his thoughtless ways, specifically towards his wife, who is waiting at home for him, angry. After one such revel, late night after a market day, Tam rides home on his horse Meg while a storm is brewing. On the way he sees the local haunted church lit up, with witches and warlocks dancing and the devil playing the bagpipes. He is still drunk, still upon his horse, just on the edge of the light, watching, amazed to see the place bedecked with many gruesome things such as gibbet irons and knives that had been used to commit murders and other macabre artifacts. The witches are dancing as the music intensifies and, upon seeing one particularly wanton witch in a short dress he loses his reason and shouts,`Weel done, cutty-sark!' (cutty-sark : "short shirt"). Immediately, the lights go out, the music and dancing stops and many of the creatures lunge after Tam, with the witches leading. Tam spurs Meg to turn and flee and drives the horse on towards the River Doon as the creatures dare not cross a running stream. The creatures give chase and the witches come so close to catching Tam and Meg that they pull Meg's tail off just as she reaches the bridge over the Doon.The name is probably based on the Scottish forename "Tam" followed by "mishanter" (misfortune, ill-luck, the devil).Summary:The poem begins:The opening scene of the poem - Tam and his cronies drinking at Kirkton Jean'sWhen chapman billies leave the street,And drouthy neibors, neibors, meet;As market days are wearing late,And folk begin to tak the gate,While we sit bousing at the nappy,An' getting fou and unco happy,We think na on the lang Scots miles,The mosses, waters, slaps and stiles,That lie between us and our hame,Where sits our sulky, sullen dame,Gathering her brows like gathering storm,Nursing her wrath to keep it warm.

After Burns has located us geographically:(Auld Ayr, wham ne'er a town surpasses,For honest men and bonnie lasses).

(a quote that gave Ayr United F.C. their nickname "the honest men"), Tam sits and drinks with his friends, and the reader is regaled with a dark prophecy of Tam's wife Kate:She prophesied that late or soon,Thou wad be found, deep drown'd in Doon,Or catch'd wi' warlocks in the mirk,By Alloway's auld, haunted kirk.

Tam's wife, Kate, is portrayed as an authority to be feared. Then:Ah, gentle dames! it gars me greet,To think how mony counsels sweet,How mony lengthen'd, sage advices,The husband frae the wife despises!

Tam continues to drink and even flirts with the landlady of the pub. Eventually he mounts up and rides off on his grey mare Meg, for his long, dark, lonely ride home. Burns emphasises the spooky character of the Ayrshire countryside Tam has to ride throughbut of course it is much easier as he is drunk:Inspiring bold John Barleycorn!What dangers thou canst make us scorn!Wi' tippenny, we fear nae evil;Wi' usquabae, we'll face the devil!

Contemporary woodcut showing Tam wearing his bonnet and sitting astride his horse MegWith the scene set, suddenly: "wow! Tam saw an unco sight!"The sight he sees is Alloway Kirk, ablaze with light, where a weird hallucinatory dance involving witches and warlocks, open coffins and even the Devil himself is in full swing. The scene is told with grimly enthusiastic gothic attention to detail. Tam manages to watch silently until, the dancing witches having cast off most of their clothes, he is beguiled by one particularly comely female witch, Nannie, whose shirt (cutty-sark) is too small for her. He cannot help shouting out in passion:Weel done, Cutty-sark!And in an instant all was dark:The devil decides to follow Tam, but the evident pride in the ability of his horse is justified as she is able to help him to "win the key-stone o' the brig". (The Devil, Witches and warlocks cannot cross running water.)They only just make it though, as Nannie, first among the "hellish legion" chasing, grabs the horse's tail, which comes off. In fine, tongue-in-cheek moralistic mode, the poem concludes:Now, wha this tale o' truth shall read,Ilk man and mother's son, take heed:Whene'er to Drink you are inclin'd,Or Cutty-sarks rin in your mind,Think ye may buy the joys o'er dear;Remember Tam o' Shanter's mare

BackgroundAlloway Kirk from Grose's Antiquities Of Scotland, 1797The poem first appeared in the Edinburgh Magazine for March 1791, a month before it appeared in the second volume of Francis Grose's Antiquities of Scotland, for which it was written. Robert Riddell introduced Burns to Grose. According to Gilbert Burns, the poet asked the antiquarian to include a drawing of Alloway Kirk when he came to Ayrshire, and Grose agreed, as long as Burns would give him something to print with it.Burns wrote to Grose in June 1790, giving him three witch stories associated with Alloway Kirk, two of which he said were "authentic", the third, "though equally true, being not so well identified as the two former with regard to the scene". The second of the stories was, in fact, Tam o' Shanter. This is Burns' prose sketch of it to Grose:On a market-day, in the town of Ayr, a farmer from Carrick, and consequently whose way lay by the very gate of Alloway kirk-yard, in order to cross the River Doon, at the old bridge, which is almost two or three hundred yards farther on than the said old gate, had been detained by his business till by the time he reached Alloway it was the wizard hour, between night and morning.Though he was terrified with a blaze streaming from the kirk, yet as it is a well known fact, that to turn back on these occasions is running by far the greatest risk of mischief, he prudently advanced on his road. When he had reached the gate of the kirk-yard, he was surprised and entertained, thorough the ribs and arches of an old gothic window which still faces the highway, to see a dance of witches merrily footing it round their old sooty black-guard master, who was keeping them all alive with the power of his bagpipe. The farmer stopping his horse to observe them a little, could plainly desern the faces of many old women of his acquaintance and neighbourhood. How the gentleman was dressed, tradition does not say; but the ladies were all in their smocks; and one of them happening unluckily to have a smock which was considerably too short to answer all the purpose of that piece of dress, our farmer was so tickled that he involuntarily burst out, with a loud laugh, 'Weel luppen, Maggy wi' the short sark!' and recollecting himself, instantly spurred his horse to the top of his speed. I need not mention the universally known fact, that no diabolical power can pursue you beyond the middle of a running stream. Lucky it was for the poor farmer that the river Doon was so near, for notwithstanding the speed of his horse, which was a good one, against he reached the middle of the arch of the bridge and consequently the middle of the stream, the pursuing, vengeful hags were so close at his heels, that one of them actually sprung to seize him: but it was too late; nothing was on her side of the stream but the horse's tail, which immediately gave way to her infernal grip, as if blasted by a stroke of lightning; but the farmer was beyond her reach. However, the unsightly, tailless condition of the vigorous steed was to the last hours of the noble creature's life, an awful warning to the Carrick farmers, not to stay too late in Ayr markets.Thus began what was to be one of Burns' most sustained poetic efforts.The story that the poem was written in a day was perpetrated by John Gibson Lockhart, aided by Allan Cunningham. Its subtle nuances of tempo, pace and tone suggest that it had been given, as Burns told Mrs Dunlop on 11 April 1791, "a finishing polish that I despair of ever excelling".[1]

Abou Ben Adhem and the AngelIt is said[who?] that Tam is based on one Douglas Graham, a statement made by Burns during a visit to Sir William Cunninghame at Robertland House.About the Author: James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 1784 28 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist, poet, and writer. In 1816 he made a mark in English literature with the publication of Story of Rimini, based on the tragic episode of Francesca da Rimini told in Dante's Inferno. Hunt's preference was decidedly for Chaucer's verse style, as adapted to modern English by John Dryden, in opposition to the epigrammatic couplet of Alexander Pope which had superseded it. The poem is an optimistic narrative which runs contrary to the tragic nature of its subject. Hunt's flippancy and familiarity, often degenerating into the ludicrous, subsequently made him a target for ridicule and parody.In 1818 appeared a collection of poems entitled Foliage, followed in 1819 by Hero and Leander, and Bacchus and Ariadne. In the same year he reprinted these two works with The Story of Rimini and The Descent of Liberty with the title of Poetical Works, and started the Indicator, in which some of his best work appeared. Both Keats and Shelley belonged to the circle gathered around him at Hampstead, which also included William Hazlitt, Charles Lamb, Bryan Procter, Benjamin Haydon, Charles Cowden Clarke, C.W. Dilke, Walter Coulson and John Hamilton Reynolds. This group was known as the Hunt Circle, or the Cockney School.Description: Abou Ben Adhem was a religious person. One night when he was sleeping peacefully in his room, a sparkling light woke him up. He found out that this bright light was due to the presence of an angel who was writing something in a golden book. Being a pious man, Abou was not afraid of the Angel and the silence in the room made him more courageous. He asked the angel what he was writing in the book. The reply Abou heard was that he was writing the names of all those people who love God. About asked the angel curiously if his name was in the list. The angel replied was negative. He then politely requested the angel to write his name as those people who love Gods fellow men. The angle wrote and disappeared.

The other night, it came again with a still glistening light and displayed the names of people whom God had blessed. Abou Ben Adhem saw that his name was gon the top of the list and it led all the rest.Abou was the king of Balkh but later became sufi saint.

The poem: Abou Ben Adhem and the AngelAbou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,And saw, within the moonlight in his room,Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,An angel writing in a book of gold:-Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,And to the Presence in the room he said"What writest thou?"-The vision raised its head,And with a look made of all sweet accord,Answered "The names of those who love the Lord."And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,But cheerly still, and said "I pray thee, then,Write me as one that loves his fellow men.The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.

Prepared by: Precious May Montalban