The Restoration Period
Uploaded by shawoon on Jun 08, 2013
The Restoration Period (1660-1700)
The eighteenth century in English literary history generally opens with the Restoration period as a kind of preface, which is held to prolong itself until the new century dawns. This Restoration period is actually a part of Neo-Classical age. This is called Restoration because in this period the English literary tradition was restored with the restoration of English monarchy. People brought back Charles I from France and made him the king of England.
Many transmutations took place at this period of time. From the social system to the literary parts altogether saw massive alterations. The long term Puritan regime which was full of restrictions and severity on life came to an end. For a generation many pleasures had been suppressed; now the theaters were reopened, bull and bear baiting revived, and sports, music, dancing,--a wild delight in the pleasures and vanities of this world replaced that absorption in “other-worldliness” which characterized the extreme of puritanism. This period saw the Glorious Revolution where the Catholics, the Protestants, Whigs and Tories all were united in this great revolution of England. The Modern England was established too. People started to live differently than before. The house of the Lords was mostly up surged by the creation of hereditary titles and estates for ignoble men...