What do you make of Daniel's Muse, "sacred Virtue" (I.v.i)?
How does his reference to Mnemosyne in stanza six complicate things?
Daniel's poem is a distinct historical account by its lack of references to God or religion (e.g. A Mirror for Magistrates). Why do you think this might be?
What does Book I have to say about the nature of civil war?
Katherine Philips, John Dryden, Andrew Marvell
In what ways do the poems we read this week engage with issue of Civil War? How do the different authors draw on their own experiences to interpret events of the English Civil War?
How does Philips fashion herself as a poet?
How does Philips' poem on the execution of Charles I compare to Andrew Marvell's "An Horatian Ode" on the same topic?
What did you make of the juxtaposition of Dryden's poem on the death of Cromwell and sections from Astrea Redux in the Norton Anthology?
Margaret Cavendish
Cavendish described her first publication, Poems and Fancies(1653) as s substitute for children: "my Book, alas it is my Childe". Discuss the ways in which Cavendish fashions herself with the 17th century frames of reference we have discussed this year (e.g. gender, class, politics, religion....). How does her self-representation change?
How does The Convent of Pleasure (1668) engage with and critique 17th century ideas of gender? How does the play illustrate "the performative aspect of gender" (Judith Butler, 1988)?
How does Cavendish exploit traditional dramatic forms?
The London Jilt
What is interesting about the claims of the preface to The London Jilt?
What genre is The London Jilt?
How does the author use wit in the narrative?
What is the author's perspective on marriage? How does this compare to other 17th century authors you have read?
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress, Book I
What is the significance of the quotation from the book of Hosea, "I have used Similitudes" on the title page of PP?
In what ways does Bunyan represent himself as a Christian soldier?
Can you decipher Bunyan's stance against Quakers and Royalists in PP?
Why do you think Bunyan's PP became one of the most perennial texts in the English language?
Aphra Behn
What are the recurring themes (if any) of the Behn prose works?
How does Behn fashion herself as narrator or author in the texts?
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