The 17th Century: Revolutions, Demotions, and Re-evaluations

1
The 17th Century Revolutions, Demotions, and
Re-evaluations

• The Scientific Revolution, the opening of the New
  World, and the Reformation forced people to
  re-evaluate human nature, the purpose of human
  life, and even reality itself.

2
New Metaphors

• New realities require new metaphors-- of
  exploration, discovery, and imaginative
  association between very different things.

3
Conceit

• These shocking new metaphors are called conceits.
• A conceit is an extended metaphor.
• Conceits often explore the shocking similarities
  between an idea and an object that, at first
  glance, has nothing to do with the idea.

4
Metaphysical Poets

• The "metaphysical poets," led by John Donne,
  experimented with these new metaphors, and
  influenced a generation of poets who reacted to
  the changes in their world in vehement and even
  violent ways.

5
Cavaliers and Puritans

• Some, like the Cavaliers, embraced the
  new-fangeldness of the age others, like the
  Puritans, yearned for certainty and truth in
  tradition and spirituality.