Key Features of Augustan Poetry
The literature of the eighteenth century England is often called the literature of the Augustan period. The Augustan period is sometimes applied to the whole period during which Pope wrote, sometimes limited to the reign of Queen Ann and sometimes extended backward so as to include Dryden.
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| Augustan Period |
Interest in the Augustan age is relatively modern. For long it was an age of prose and reason. Formerly it was believed that its main task was to strengthen the gains of the Revolution of 1688. Ordinary men and social life became a source of interest. Political and economic thought is connected with the needs of normal men. Hence the literature of this period is the literature of social life. Writers have to make their living by selling their books. Pope is one of them who makes his fortune by the sale proceeds of The Iliad.
The literature of the period is a reaction to the boundless imagination and overflowing enthusiasm which were the predominant features of the Elizabethan age. The Augustans hated enthusiasm and mystery and religious brooding. This was owing partly to a reaction against the Puritan and partly to a sceptical indifterence caused by the constant sectarian controversies of the seventeenth century. The literature of this period is often called the classical literature, because the poets and critics of this age believed that the works of these writers of classical antiquity presented the best of models and the ultimate standards of literary taste. Moreover, like the Latin writers they did not believe in the inspiration of the individual genius and felt that the best poetry was the product of the rules and laws imposed by the authority of the past. As a result, in the literature of the period intelligence rather than imagination was the important guidance of artistic genius. The literature became didactic and satiric a poetry of argument of criticism, politics and personalities for the poet's distrust in imagination and inability to deal with the cosmic problems of life and his desire to find discipline in every sphere of life.
Another important aspect of the literature of the period was the exaltation of form over matter. The result is the establishment of a highly artificial and conventional style. Classical decorations were employed by the writers and they became stale. Simplicity and naturalness disappeared and a false conception of refinement grew up in its stead. Grandiloquent phrases and pompous periphrases were substituted for plain and direct expressions.
Another important characteristic of the Augustan age was the belief that literature must follow Nature, But by the term follow Nature, the writers meant an exact reproduction of everyday life and manners as opposed to anything wild or extravagant. The aim of the writers of this period was to copy the men and manners of polite society. They were not attracted to Nature and did not describe flowers and the changes of the seasons. Their poetry was exclusively a town poetry. The humbler aspects of the life were neglected and Nature and landscape did not figure in their poetry. The poetry of the period followed the close couplet as the only form of verse. It was quite suitable to the didactic and satiric poetry that was popular at this period. But as a result poetry became dull, artificial and monotonous, Pope's critical injunction is a call to follow Nature which means that a poet must obey reason and seek order, and harmony in life and art. So Pope says,The best employment of human wit is to present human nature interestingly Poetry to the Augustan poets is like a good conversation, a social activity. The best Augustan poetry as The Rape of the Lock and The Dunciad accomplishes a sensitive adjustment of sound and rhythm. But mere description, however, beautiful becomes tiresome. Hence the eighteenth century authors give nature a less prominent place for they believe like Pope "the proper study of mankind is man".
The French influence, particularly of Corneille and Boileau on Augustan literature is too active to be denied. They demanded an easy symmetry between the whole and the parts and were afraid of formlessness and innovations and insisted on the natural way of writing. French influence encouraged the English to make an independent study of the classics. This is why Pope aims at attaining "a grand simplicity." But he is not a slavish imitator. He admits that there are beauties which are above precepts.
The literature of the Augustan period is full of variety and complexity and it is impossible to reduce it to a simple, literary form. But there is a sense of progress and order that prevails in the literature as in the society of the Augustan period.
Key Features of Augustan Poetry
Source: https://britishliterary.blogspot.com/2020/05/augustan-period-literary.html