Lit.Guruji

                         Puritanism   Introduction : The Protestants were not satisfied with the religious settlement made by Queen Elizabeth. So, they planned to purify all Roman Catholic practices and came to be known as puritans.  According to G. M. Trevalyan " Puritanism was the religion of all those who wished to purify the rituals of the established church from the Roman Catholics. Idealist Puritans:  The puritans were ideal and they involved in private  devotion. For spiritual guidance the puritans read the Bible. He kept spiritual diary and entered the success and failures faced in day to day life.  At the beginning period puritanism advocated delight in the pleasure and joy of life. But during puritanism rule theatres were closed.  The long parliament passed an Ordinance abolishing all play houses. They suppressed sports, wrestling and dancing.  Puritans Contribution to English Literature: Milton is a Puritan. He wrote the two great epics Paradise Lost and

          The Civil war and its Significance Introduction : The civil war was the cold war existing between the king and the parliament. It was the year in which Stuart King James I ascended the throne of England. This issue was " Who should be more powerful, the King or the Parliament ". The civil war resolved in  favour of the parliament.  Feud between King James I and the Parliament:  There was a feud between King James I and the Parliament. The King was ready to solve the crisis through the policy of compromise. But his son Charles I came to the throne in 1625 and was not ready to compromise. He was stubborn. This attitude led to an open conflict between him and the parliament.  Ruthlessness of Charles I:  Charles I was annoyed by the power of the parliament. He dissolved his first parliament and levied taxes. He summoned for a second parliament. He threw all the leaders who opposed him and put them in the prison. This circumstance led the King to call for a t

                The Religion of England Introduction: The Reformation movement led into the division of two groups the Catholics and Protestants. Catholics remained loyal to the Pope. Protestants protested against the Pope. Catholic Church was suppressed in England.  The National religion of England:  The national religion of England is Anglicanism or the church of England. It was started by Henry VIII and established by Queen Elizabeth I. There is much in common between the Anglican church and the Catholic church.  Anglicanism :  I . Anglicanism doesnot accept the supremacy of the Pope.  II.  It doesnot give high honour to Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. The Archbishop is appointed by the king or queen.  High Church and Low Church:  During 17th century, with in the church of England there were two groups,                High church               Low church .  The high church gave importance to the authority. The low church didn't give importance to the authority. The

               The Elizabethan Theatre         Elizabethan age was a period of strolling players. These strolling players performed in improvised theatres - in tavern yards, palaces or gentleman's houses. There were touring dramatic companies, such as Admiral's Men and Chamberlain's Men. James I took Chamberlain's under his protection and the company was called the King's Men.         The first permanent theatre was built in 1576 by James Burbage. It was called 'The Theatre'. The theatres are,  Rose - 1587 Globe - 1599 Fortune - 1600       Most of the theatres of the time were small. They were different in shape . For example,the Swan theatre was octagonal, and the Fortune theatre was Square shaped.        During Elizabethan age the theatre was half open to the sky and the plays were acted during day time . This theatre was not elaborate like the modern theatres. It's main drawback was no proper appliances . Placards were used to announ

                         The Reformation Introduction : Reformation is a term used to refer to the great religious movement of the 16th century. It started in Germany and spread to other nations like wild fire. According to Hilaire Belloc, " Reformation was a revolt against Catholicism". Causes of Reformation:  I. Doctrines and practices of the church became outdated.  II. Growing spirit of nationalism among people or rivalry between popes and anti-popes and corruption.  Practice of granting Indulgence:  Pope, Julius II decided to pull down the old medieval church of St. Peter, and construct a grand new Basilica. The next Pope, Leo X ran short of funds. He came up with an idea of raising funds by pardoning sinners and selling indulgences to people who donated money for the construction of new Basilica. The superstitious people believed that they could escape hell and reach heaven by paying the Pope.  German monk - Martin Luther King: The Reformation movement was

                  The Renaissance Renaissance literally mean rebirth. It is the revival of learning of classical literature  between the 14 th  and 16 th  century. During this period developed,  I . Spirit of Inquiry.  II . A spirit of freedom of thought.  iii . Social, political and religious ideas were all revolutionalized.  According to Prof. Jobb, "the process of transition in Europe from the medical to modern order". In literature Renaissance means the recovery of the masterpiece of the ancient world and the revived knowledge of Greek and Latin. Hence Walter Pater is right in calling Renaissance "a complex and many sided movement". Inventions and discoveries:  The first printing press in England was established in 1476 by William Caxton. Another great invention was the Mariners Compass.  Capture of Constantinople: The Eastern Roman Empire captured the Turks in 1453. Greek scholars fled from their land and reached Italy, France and England. Renai

The Extasie -        John Donne         The poem Extasie was written by John Donne . He is the father of Metaphysical poetry. In this poem he expresses his unique idea about love. He believes that real love exists only when love is both physical and spiritual.         In the first stanza of the poem two lovers sit on the bank of the river. Both are looking at each other and holding their hands tightly. Their hands are cemented and eyes are strung on a thread. This shows their physical intimacy.         The poet compares the lovers to two equally powerful armies were their souls are waging war against  each other. In this war victory lies on both the sides. The two bodies remain motionless like ‘statues’ as their souls are hanging out. The language spoken by these souls can be understood only by true lovers. According to Donne love is both physical and spiritual.         True love is the fusion of two pure souls. When both the souls combines together an abler sou