Basic Literature

Elegies    + Commonly refers to a song or poem lamenting one who is dead (kind of nostalgia is there)   Characteristics ·        It is type of a lyric and focuses on expressing emotions or thoughts. ·        It uses formal language and structure. ·        It may mourn the passing of line and beauty or immortality. ·        It may expose the speaker’s anger about death.   Elements can be found in an elegy ·         Begins with mourn ·        Show an admiration, listing qualities and impressive deeds in the person’s lifetime ·        Last element may be more religious (a consolidation)

  To the memory of Mr. Oldham by john Dryden   ·        John Dryden was and English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright. ·        He also contributed greatly to the literary field through is odes, elegies, prologues, and epilogues. Overview ·        Written in 1684 ·        Direct references to the demise of John Oldham. ·        Dryden penetrates through Oldham’s literary knack and poetic approach at his sudden demise – premature death in his 30’s – and writes this poem. ·        Dryden’s elegy “to the memory of Mr. Oldham” presents a tribute in verse to the poetic achievement of John Oldham. ·        In 24 lines of heroic couplets, an unusual verse form for an elegy, Dryden laments Oldham’s premature death and assesses this literary merit.   Tone – measured grief (sees death in a positive POV) Narration – second person, Dryden himself addresses Mr. Oldham Main technique – metaphor and allusion     Themes ·        Allusion ·        Kinshi

  Rape of the lock by Alexander Pope ·        pope’s masterpiece “the rape of the lock”, written in, a brilliant satire on the fashionable life of the upper class of his time. ·        The artificiality of the lifestyle of this class and the frivolous nature of the women are exquisitely portrayed in this “epic” which parodies the great classical epics.   ·        “The rape of the lock” is a mock-heroic narrative poem written by pope. The poem satirizes a minor incident by comparing it in to the epic world of the Gods.   ·        People utilized the character Belinda to represent Arabella and introduced on entire system of “sylphs”, or guardian spirits of virgins, a parodied version of the God and Goddesses if the conventional Epic. (Pope uses the traditional epic style)   ·        Though, the poem is humorous at times, Pope keeps a sense that beauty is fragile, and emphasizes that the loss of a lock of hair touches Belinda deeply.   Meter – Iambic pentameter Rhyme –