The Puritan Spirit in the Seventeenth Century Prose John Miltons Paradise Lost and John Bunyans The

Pilgrims Progress 1. The main characteristics of the Puritanism Puritanism strongly emphasized: o that the course o human events depended upon !ods omnipotent providence" o the pro#lem o guilt and salvation$ %hich depended upon #oth human aith and !ods a#solute po%er" o direct$ personal religious e&perience and simple %orship service" o the importance o the teaching o the Bi#le and the idea o personal Bi#lical interpretation" o education or the masses so they could read the Bi#le or themselves" o sincere$ moral conduct" o hard %or'$ #elie in democracy and the notion o progress"

2. The impact of Puritanism on English literature

The irst hal o the seventeenth century as a %hole$ compared %ith (liza#ethan age$ %as one o relaxing vigour) Still$ the output o literature did not diminish$ #ut it speed itsel over %ider ields) The religious element %as not only present$ #ut also 1

the main source o inspiration or the %riters) The Puritans %ere literate and %ell+educated$ and Puritan authors %ere respected and regularly pu#lished in London) Their primary reading material %as the Bi#le ,King James Authorized Version of the Bible, pu#lished in 1611- so they e&pounded upon its themes through poetry and prose)

Literary themes: the meaninglessness o possessions$ insigni icance o material things" the danger o vanity" human'inds struggles" the temptation o the sin" Satan vs) Man human .all and salvation" !od vs) Satan" the inal /udgement"

3. King James Authorized Version of the Bible

0uring the reign o 1ing James 2$ an ecclesiastical con erence accepted the suggestion$ approved #y the 'ing$ that a ne%$ more accurate translation o the Bi#le should #e made ,1345-) The %or' %as entrusted to a group o a#out 64 scholars$ %ho divided themselves in si& groups among %hich the various #oo's o the *

Bi#le %ere apportioned) 2t too' them seven years to accomplish the 1ing James Bi#le+perhaps the most amiliar among

Protestants$ although many other translations have since #een made) Pro#a#ly no other single #oo' has had greater in luence upon (nglish literature than this translation o the Bi#le) 2ts literary value lies in its variety and %ealth o material$ %ritten in a style that is stately and simple$ direct and sometimes poetic) 0idactic literature %as particularly popular in seventeenth+century (ngland) 2t includes poetry$ plays$ novels and stories %hose primary purpose is to guide$ instruct or teach) They are distinguished rom purely imaginative %or's ,sometimes called mimetic %or's- %hose goal is purely to interest and appeal to the reader) Much o the literature o the seventeenth century %as %ritten to educate the readers on su#/ects as diverse as morality$ philosophy$ religion) Propagandist literature is a particular type o didactic literature %hich tries to convince the reader to ta'e a position or direct action on a contemporary moral$ religious or political issue)

!. John "ilton the Puritan. Paradise Lost 8#ove all his contemporaries as the representative poet o Puritanism$ stands John Milton) 8lthough some o his greatest %or's %ere pu#lished in the 9estoration period$

Milton #elongs in spirit to the Puritan age o Crom%ells Common%ealth$ %hich he supported)

a. Background and education: John Milton %as #orn in London in 134: into a %ealthy$ %ell+educated amily) ;is ather$ %ho has #een disinherited #y his amily or #ecoming Protestant$ instilled in his son rom an early age a love o learning and strong religious #elie s) By an early age o si&teen he could %rite in Latin and !ree' and had a good 'no%ledge o Philosophy) ;e attended Christs College$ Cam#ridge$ %here he too' his master o 8rts degree and distinguished himsel as an

outstanding student) .or a period o time he considered ta'ing religious orders$ #ut inally decided to move #ac' home$ %here he continued his studies and %rote) 2n 137: he visited .rance and 2taly) ;o%ever$ %hen ne%s o the Civil %ar in (ngland reached him he returned home)

b. Political views: ;e %as a #ig supporter o Crom%ell and the

Parliament) 8 ter the Civil <ar he %as appointed Latin Secretary to the Common%ealth) Milton$ %ho had al%ays had %ea' eyesight$ %as going #lind$ and doctors %arned him not to ta'e the /o# as it involved translating into Latin all the !overnments correspondence) Milton replied that he had to 5

do his duty or the Common%ealth and accepted the position) ;e eventually %ent totally #lind)

c. Final years 8 ter the 9estoration Milton spent a #rie period in prison or the part he had played in the Common%ealth$ #ut he %as %ell respected and had po%er ul riends and so %as soon released) ;e spent his last years in retirement dedicating himsel to the %riting o his masterpieces: Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes. ;e died in 13=5)

Paradise Lost Since he %as a student$ Milton cherished the am#ition to produce such a %or' as the %orld %ould not %illingly let die) ;e aimed$ speci ically$ to produce a Christian epic %hich should ran' %ith the great epics o anti>uity) ;e had had in mind$ among others$ the story o Mans .all) Milton %anted to %rite a poem in praise o !od) 8s he said in one o his sonnets$ he %anted to use his literary gi ts to serve there%ith my ma'er) Pu#lished in 133=$ Paradise Lost tells the story in t%elve #oo's o Satans #anishment rom ;eaven and his attempt to ta'e revenge on !od through the temptation o 8dam and (ve) Miltons aim %as to %rite a poem in order: to /usti y the %ays o 6

!od to men$ as he stated in the poem) The irst %ords o Paradise Lost state the poems main theme: Mans irst diso#edience) Milton narrates the story o 8dam and (ves diso#edience$ e&plains ho% and %hy it happens$ and places the story %ithin the larger conte&t o Satans re#ellion and Jesus resurrection) 8dam and (ve represent the entire human race) They #ecome e&ponents o the %hole humanity that chose to diso#ey !od) Satan$ on the other hand is the irst o all !ods creation to diso#ey) ;is decision to re#el comes only rom himsel +he %as not persuaded or provo'ed #y others) 8lso$ his decision to continue to diso#ey !od a ter his all into ;ell ensures that !od %ill not orgive him) 8dam and (ve decide to repent orgiveness) 2n essence$ Paradise Lost presents t%o moral paths that one can ta'e a ter diso#edience: the do%n%ard spiral o increasing sin and or their sins and see'

degradation$ represented #y Satan$ and the road to redemption$ represented #y 8dam and (ve) 2n accordance %ith the puritan spirit$ Milton uses the poem to demonstrate that o#edience to !od$ even a ter repeated alls$ can lead to human'inds salvation) Besides the theme o sin$ diso#edience and redemption$ another puritan theme$ central in the poem$ is that related to the hierarchical nature o the universe ruled #y !od) The cause o the re#ellion that #rought sin into %orld is the diso#edience o !ods

hierarchy) The order is esta#lished only %hen the Man %ill admit and recognize !od as the .ather and Jesus as the saving son) 2n 13=1 Milton pu#lished Paradise regained in our #oo's) The central theme is that o temptation) 2t tells the story o Christs temptation #y Satan in the desert) 2n the same year he also pu#lishes Samson Agonistes, a poem depicting the events leading up to the 'illing o Samson #y the Philistines) Miltons aim %as to enlighten the tragic repercussions o the sin in ones li e) Ta'ing into account the large variety o religious themes and moralizing$ didactic value o these poems one can easily state that the puritan spirit %as success ully em#odied #y Miltons last masterpieces)

#. John $unyan. Pilgri !s Progress fro

this "orld to that

which is to co e: #elivered $nder the %i ilitude of #rea The %riter %ho most success ully captured the Puritan spirit is undou#tedly John Bunyan)

a. Biogra&hical insights: Born in Bed ord$ near London$ 13*:$ son o a tin'er$ Bunyan %as e&pected to carry on his athers trade) 8 irm #eliever in Parliament$ he /oined Crom%ells army at the age o si&teen to ight against Charles 2) <hen the army dis#anded in 135? Bunyan returned home and started preaching) ;e %as sel + =

taught and #ased most o his learning on the Authorised Version of the Bible, %hich had #een pu#lished in 1311) 0uring 9estoration he %as imprisoned or t%elve years or preaching %ithout a license) ;e su#se>uently spent several spells in prison #ut inally o#tained a licence and continued preaching until his death in 13::)

b. 'he Pilgri !s Progress <hile in prison John Bunyan started %riting his great masterpiece The Pilgrims Progress$ %hich %as pu#lished in 13=:) 2t is a po%er ul allegory o mans >uest or salvation that is %idely considered to #e one o the greatest %or's o religious literature o all time and a orerunner to the eighteenth+century novel) The originality o the %or' is partly due to the act that Bunyan 'ne% no great iction %riters to copy) The only source o Bunyans inspiration %as the Bible) ;e also %or'ed %ithin the Puritan tradition o sel +e&amination and argument and the

allegorizing tradition o the village sermon) Pilgrims Progress ta'es the orm o an allegory ramed as a dream that aims to tell religious truths indirectly) The main theme re ers to celestial salvation earned #y overcoming the earthly o#stacles) Christian$ the main character$ lees rom the City o 0estruction ,having ailed to persuade his %i e and children to accompany him- and sets out on a pilgrimage through the 9iver o 0eath to the Celestial City ,heaven-) Part 22 o the :

story relates ho% his %i e$ moved #y a vision$ ollo%s %ith her children on the same pilgrimage) The characters in the story have no individual personality #ut are the em#odiments o moral >ualities or aults as illustrated #y their names: !ood%ill$ .aith ul$ Charity$ 0iscretion or !iant 0espair$ 2gnorance$ Pagan etc) The settings are also suggestive and echo universal truths for all men life is indeed a journe and the Slough of !es"ond, !oubting #astle, Vanit $air, and the Valle of %umiliation are "la&es 'here in one sense or another ever human soul has often

struggled and suffered. ,9o#ert ;untington .letcherJohn Bunyans %riting is #eauti ul and simple and contains humorous characterisations) The language is concise and accurately represents the speech o rural people at the time %hen Bunyan %rote) Bunyans Puritan spirituality #ecomes o#vious not only due to the themes he e&plores$ #ut also in his personal$ e&pressed attitude to%ards %riting) Bunyan insisted on a personal relationship %ith !od$ modesty and simplicity o style ( &ould have stee"ed into a st le mu&h higher...but ( dare not. )od did not "la in &onvin&ing me ... 'herefore ( ma not "la in m relating of these ex"erien&es. *J) Bunyan+)ra&e Abounding+. 2n The Authors A"olog $ that precedes the Pilgrims story$ Bunyan ma'es e&plicit the didactic and religious nature o his %or' that is meant to appeal to the minds o its readers The boo, is 'rit in su&h a diale&t - As ma the minds of listless men affe&t. - (t seems a novelt , and et &ontains - /othing but sound and honest gos"el ?

strains. Bunyans masterpiece indeed echoed not only in the minds of listless contemporaries$ #ut also across the centuries) 2t has #een translated into more languages than any other #oo' e&cept the Bible.

%onclusions: The Puritan spirit had a great impact on the seventeenth century (nglish literature) Seventeenth century Puritanism %as to ind a supreme spo'esman in prose iction as %ell as in poetry" John Milton and John Bunyan$ standing at %idely di erent angles o e&perience$ ma'e one o the most complementary pairs in all literature) Milton em#odied the Puritan spirit in an epic poem$ narrated in an elevated style that %as deli#erately distanced rom ordinary speech) John Bunyan chose the orm o a po%er ul allegory o human li e in order to accomplish his aims) Miltons gran& style is at contrast %ith Bunyans simple$ modest$ concise speech) Still$ despite these di erences$ #oth authors manage to em#ody in their %or's the moral$ religious$ doctrinal principles that #est characterizes the Puritan movement)

Key 'or&s: Puritanism, religion, mo(ement, themes,

Enlightenment.

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