RESTORATION AGE
INTRODUCTION
The puritan rule of Cromwell did not make the people happy. As a result, there was a revolt against it. This revolt ended with the restoration of King Charles II. The Restoration age is also known as the age of Dryden. It covers the reigns of Charles II, James II and William II. The Restoration of Charles II gives birth to a new world. The king is received with excessive joy. The mood of the nation also changes. The natural feelings that were suppressed during the Puritan period become wide spread. Dishonest and immoral courtiers surrounded the king and as a result corruption spread in all the walks of life.
This era also showed the two political parties, the Whigs and the Tories. Almost all the writers of the era had political connections. The religious controversies were even bitter. Charles II had no child so his brother James II ascended the throne. He was a Roman Catholic. He tried to establish Catholicism (The beliefs, doctrines and rituals of a Catholic church, especially those of the Roman Catholic Church) In the country. He became unpopular and within three years, his rule came to an end. There was a bloodless revolution.
All the above-mentioned things had its effect on literature of that time. The tone of the literature was modified.
CHARACTERISTICS OF RESTORATION AGE
Here are the characteristics of the Restoration Period:
(1) Rise of Neo Classicism:
The Restoration shows a complete break with the past. They established rules of manners. All the writers agreed upon the rules and principles with which they should write. They decided to follow the rules given by the classical writers. This was the main difference between the Elizabethan writers and the writers of the Restoration period. They can also be called the classical in some respect.
(2) Imitation of the Ancients:
The authors of this period did not have much literary talents. Therefore, they turned to the great classical writers, particularly to the Latin writers. They took guidance and inspiration from them, They believed that the classical writers reached thc peak of excellence, so modern poets should also follow their footsteps. In this way, new classical school of writing began. As the writers of the Restoration Period tried to copy the classical writers, they could not be that much imaginative. They slavishly imitated the rules and regulations of the classical writers. They neglected the subject matter. Pope, at once, says;
“Learn hence for ancient rules a just esteem;
To copy Nature is to copy them.”
(3) The French Influence:
The French influence also had a great effect on the writers. When Charles returned from exile, he and his courtiers renounced old poetic tradition. One More reason was that the people were not happy with the literature of the preceding age. The successors of Shakespeare failed to impress people with their work. In poetry, also, the Metaphysical poets could not create any impression. Due to all these, there was a desire for reform that gave birth to a new type of literature. They demanded that the poetry should follow the style of French writers, Even Shakespeare could not make them happy. Peppy in his Diary mentions; “I will never go again to see the play A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream for it is the most insipid, ridiculous play that ever I saw in my life. The combined influence of French and classicism is seen in the heroic tragedy by Dryden. His tragedies like Tyrannic Love and All for Love are good examples of this.
It was ok if the writers of the Restoration age had copied the virtues of the French writers. Unfortunately some writers copied the vices of French comedy without any wit. In the words of W J Long. The poems of Rochester, the play of Dryden, Wycherley, Congreve…all popular in their day, are mostly unreadable.”
(4) Realism and Formalism:
The Restoration literature reacted against the romantic style of Elizabethan literature. The French literature influenced them, so the literature developed realism. They neglected romantic poetry. They tried to paint the realistic picture of the society and the corrupt court. The writer emphasized vices than the virtues. This also gave birth to the satirical work. Some such examples are Dryden’s Absalom an Achitophel and Mac Flecknoe.
Formalism is a tendency that pays more attention to the rules and the correct arrangement and appearance of things than to inner meaning and feelings. The Restoration writers believed in simplicity of expression and directness. From France, they brought back the tendency to follow the set rules for writing literature. They stressed reason than emotion. They used minimum words. Under the influence of this information Dryden adopted the heroic couplet.
He tells himself;
“And this unpolished rugged verse I chose
As fittest for discourse, and nearest prose.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, it can be said that there were three historical events, the Restoration of the year 1660, the religious controversy and the revolution of 1688. They deeply influenced the writers and the literary work of the Restoration period that covered the span of 40 years ie. From 1660 to 1700