Hand Notes - 17th and 18th Century Non Fictional Prose - For 3rd Year English Department (National University)
Would you call Bacon a good adviser?
Ans. There are certain periods in the worlds' history which have special attraction for any students of the intellectual and moral development of mankind. In an age when belief in age-old mythology was being shattered and tradition, authority and custom were no longer accepted as adequate sanctions for moral rules and political institutions, Bacon's Essays reflected the sentiments and attitudes that he found towards life and time of his age. In other words, Bacon (1561-1626) was the product of his time.
The essays are on human nature, on thoughts, art and on society and the state. Categorically speaking, the text, style and structure of Bacon's essays may be found in miniature the most serious concerns of one of the greatest intellect of the renaissance period. The essays, for example, Of Truth, Of Marriage and Single Life and Of Plantations illustrate the qualities of life that he seems to value.
The essay Of Truth shows Bacon's keen observations of human beings. The remark that love of lies is inherent in human beings may sound cynical but is nevertheless undeniable. This essay expresses Bacon's moralistic learning that is his prudential attitude to life. In this essay, he argued that truth is important not only in theological and philosophical fields but also in day-to-day life. Even those who do not practice truthfulness themselves, admit that honest and straightforward dealing denotes nobility. A mixture of truth and falsehood helps in succeeding materially but it debases while it strengthens.
The essay Of Marriage and Single Life deals with the subject of popular interests. Marriage is a human experience and such a topic is bound to appeal even to a common man. Bacon puts forward a balance sheet of assets and liabilities of married and single life. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Bacon's approach to the institutions of marriage was somewhat utilitarian. Marriage makes a man do better in certain spheres of work and has detrimental effect in other spheres.
In Of Love Bacon took pragmatic point of view in treating the subject "love". According to him, love is result of human folly. If a man cannot resist love, he should keep within limits and keep it apart and isolated from the serious affairs of his life. If love is allowed to interfere with serious business, it will play havoc on man's future and defeat of his fate.
The essay Of Plantations bears the testimony of the fact that Bacon was aware of his age and the demands of the time. In this essay, he emphasized that plantations are among the ancient, primitive and heroic works'. Here he discussed the processes and methods of plantation in detail. He also suggested the administrators. how to make the plantation more useful for a growing nation.
Write a note on Bacon's prose style.
Ans. The merits of Bacon's prose style have been estimated from many a perspective. The grace of his style was appreciated by famous essayist Addison. The dazzling power of his rhetoric was admired by Saintsburry. Hume called him rather stiff and rigid for his style and his practical and pragmatic views on men and affairs. Bacon's style was shaped by the materialistic outlook prevailing in his age. The wisdom enshrined in his Essays was concerned with stern realities of life. Some of the salient features that characterize his prose are as follows:Bacon is weighty with thought. Many of his sentences can be. expanded into full paragraphs. One of the salient features of Bacon's prose is aphorism. Aphorism is the terse expression of a universal. truth. For example, in the essay, Of Marriage and Single Life Bacon argued: "Wives are young men's mistress; companions of middle age and old men's nurse." This use of terse expression and epigrammatic shortness of sentence reflect the depth of an author's personal experience. Aphorism is different from the proverb. A proverb is an anonymous expression of truth whiles an aphorism is. one's personal experience. So it can be said that Bacon blended his personal experience in his prose.
Another key feature of Bacon's prose is the use of allusions. Allusions are the indirect or implicit reference to another work of art or literature, to a historical person or event. For example, in the beginning of the essay Of Truth Bacon referred to Pilate. Pilate was the governor of Judea. Before him, the Christ was tried and condemned to death.
He was introduced as a type of sceptical about truth. In the paragraph of the essay the nature of "Truth" is discussed in opposition to error. Bacon said that though truth is attainable, men prefer to tell lies. Men enjoy freedom of scepticism instead of being fixed in the monotony of beliefs and for this reason, they deliberately reject truth. This rejection of truth satisfies their vanity, their caprices or imagination. This allusion clarifies the meaning and message of the author that he wanted to convey to the readers. It adds dignity to the text too.
Use of imagery made the prose of Bacon lively. In doing so, he chose images from the familiar objects of nature or from the facts of every day life. His similes and metaphors are apt, vivid and suggestive. They are not mere ornaments rather they render force, charm and clarity to his style. For instance, in the essay Of Truth he compared truth to clear and broad daylight. In the light of the day, truth may be compared to the grace of pearl which can be best appreciated in the day light.
It cannot be like diamond or carbuncle which can be best admired in the artificial lights of candles and lamps. As he said: "Truth may perhaps come to the price of a pearl, that sheweth best by day; but it will not rise to the price of a diamond or carbuncle, that sheweth best in varied lights". What it suggests is that truth lacks the charm of variety of a diamond or carbuncle.
So, it can be concluded that Bacon revealed wisdom and experience. In blending both he did not take resort to any artificial or lofty style that can separate the readers from the text. Rather he took an every-day practical moralist approach where readers draw inspiration to act upon in this world.
Discuss Bacon as a practical moralist and full of worldly wisdom.
Or, In his Essays, Bacon judges everything in terms of utility. Do you agree? Answer with reference to the essays that you have read.
There is a shrewd application of reason to everyday problems of life in Bacon's essays - Discuss.
Bacon shows in his essays how to achieve worldly success Discuss.
Or, Bacon's essays come home to men's business and bosom - Discuss.
Or, Bacon's essays reflect a mind calculative in practical affairs Discuss.
Ans. Bacon was practical and pragmatic in his views on men and affairs were shaped by the materialistic outlook prevailing in his age. The wisdom enshrined in his Essays was concerned with stern realities of life. The Essays are a treasure-house of worldly wisdom, that is, the kind of wisdom necessary for achieving worldly success. Such wisdom necessarily precludes profound philosophy and ideal morality. It encompasses the art or technique of getting on in the world and thus the emphasis is on tact, shrewdness foresight and judgment of character.
The essay Of Truth shows Bacon's keen observations about human beings. The remarks that love for telling lies is inherent to human beings may sound cynical but is nevertheless undeniable. This essay expresses Bacon's moralistic learning that is his prudential attitude to life. In this essay, he argued that truth is important not only in theological and philosophical fields but also in day-to-day life. Even those who do not practise truthfulness themselves, admit that honest and straightforward dealing denotes nobility. A mixture of truth and falsehood helps in succeeding materially but it debases while it strengthens.
A practical and pragmatic attitude towards life is evident in all his essays. The essay Of Marriage and Single Life reveals a utilitarian outlook of the author. It deals with the subject of popular interests. Marriage is a human experience and such a topic is bound to appeal even to a common man. Bacon puts forward a balance sheet of assets and liabilities of married and single life. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Bacon's approach to the institutions of marriage was somewhat utilitarian. Marriage makes a man do better in certain spheres of work and has detrimental effect on other spheres.
In his Of Love Bacon said that love affair causes weaknesses in human being. One, when a man is engaged in love he turns into a flatterer or a proud person. His flattery or pride hinders him to be wise. Second, as a man is involved in love he very often shuns thinking of others- be it the heaven or other noble objects of the world. So his world becomes small and confined to a maze of thinking. Finally, a lover can have nothing but the inward and secret contempt from his beloved.
In Bacon's time, colonization was a burning problem in Europe. The foundation of British Empire was being laid at that time. Many books were written during this period. They dealt with the problems relating to the plantations of a newly discovered country and the relationship between the savages and the white settlers.
Bacon's essay avoided two terrifying problems. Under the leadership of Sir John Hawkins, the English were starting during the later 16th century to take part in the brutal African slave trade. At the same time, a major feature of English policy in Ireland supplementing the basic projects of genocide by starvation was the stocking of plantations with the Scottish Presbyterian settlers. Thus the Elizabethan government of Bacon's time sowed the seeds of slavery in America and of civil war in Ireland.
Depict the contemporary social picture portrayed in the Coverley Papers.
Ans. The Coverley Papers is the reflection of contemporary society. For, the spectators silently observe the way of life and manner of people and their society and try to imitate them in their essays. This silent observation helps them capture an actual idea of society and makes the essay a good imitation of contemporary social situation.Steele's Of the Club provides a familiarity with six members of Spectator Club. The members portray the picture of social manner and profession. Through the sketching of Sir Roger de Coverley we are introduced to an eccentric, odd and whimsical fellow. The truly religious and loves for mankind are also portrayed. The inversion between the wish of father and son in choosing profession is found of his sketching of the law student and his father.
A well-known merchant is Sir Andrew Freeport who is prudent and full of wise maxims. He wants others should follow the example of his hard work to become rich. Next, Captain Centry, a military man, is modest in behaviour. He has to resign from his job because of modesty. He is good natured and sensible also. Will Honey-Comb is old but enjoys excellent health and a sort of lady killer. The last is the Clergy. He is very wise, learned and pious though he does not go to the church regularly.
In the The Spectator's Account of Himself the violence and hostility of Tory and Whig are found. As a spectator, Addison observes the incidents and sketches the fact of the political situation which is inconsistent. Besides, the picture of a mother's dream to her son is found in the essay. A mother always desires her son to be an important person and in the essay the spectator's mother desires like that. His mother wishes his son as an important person, say a judge.
The society of a Sunday is illustrated in Sir Roger at Church. On this day people come to church in their best dresses and their most cheerful moods. This has a refining influence on their characters and their manners. At least for the day, they forget the selfishness and the boredom which is generated by their worldly activities throughout the week. Each tries to outshine the other, the parish politics is freely discussed and so their wits are sharpened and their manner refined.
There is also a picture of social justice and charity in Death of Sir Roger by Addison. In the essay we find Sir Roger as a charitable person. He hands over his wealth to others. As well as the picture of justice to a poor widow woman and her fatherless children is an example of social picture.
Thus, The Coverley Papers is not considered only as a literary piece but also a picture of a society. Here we find social manner and profession, pohtics, and charity.
Write a note on Addison as a social satirist.
Ans. Satire is a literary device to ridicule the vice and vanity of a society, with a view to correcting them. In his essays Addison refers to him as a spectator and appears as a judicious critic of manners of morals of the society in his essays. He also tries to satirise the vanity of the society to reduce them, toIn The Spectator's Account of Himself we find the desire of al mother i.e. her son would be an important figure.
Addison slightly satirizes this vanity of the dream of his mother because he was "not so vain as to think". His satire is on being appeared in public, which was his greatest pain. There is also a silent knock against to defend any party between Tory and Whigs with violence and always he tries to remain neutral but cannot.
In the essay Sir Roger at the Church Addison satirizes the follies and vices of the society in a good and humoured way. There is a hint of country people's degeneration. Addison states that unless Sunday clears away the nasty habits of whole week and refreshes their minds, they would soon turns in savages and barbarians. He uses his power to satirize through the character of Sir Roger in a humoured way e.g. he allowed "nobody to sleep in it besides himself".
Addison also satirizes the behaviour of Roger creating greater disturbance shouting to one not to disturb in the congregation. At the other times, Roger would lengthen out a prayer and continue to sing even when others have stopped, or repeat "Amen" three or four times instead of speaking only once. Addison also satirizes the vices of Sir Roger apparently as sleeping in the church during sermons is a humiliation to the Christianity/church affairs.
Death of Sir Roger by Addison appears with slightly satirical tone. Before the imitative letter in the essay we find a knock against the diversion of political parties in the line where the letter, a mourning letter on the death of Sir Roger, comes from his enemy and antagonist who is a Whig justice of peace. In the essay we find a tone of satire, evaluating the comment of the butler about charitable quality of Sir Roger.
Being Mr. Spectator, Addison looks at the world with eyes of a mature person who is always hopeful of betterment, Therefore, Addison was marked as a great satirist of his age, who wanted to correct his society through his mild satire.
Critically examine Dr. Johnson's account of metaphysical poetry in Life of Cowley.
Ans. Metaphysical poetry, in the full sense of the term, is a s poetry which like Dante's Divina Comedia or Goethe's Faust, has been inspired by a philosophic conception of the universe. It gives the role assigned to the human spirit in the great drama of existence. In metaphysical poetry we find this comprehension of life unified, illumined, intensified and heightened but the poet's personal consciousness of joy and sorrow, hope and fear, revealing to him in the history of his own soul, a brief abstract of the drama of human destiny.A metaphysical poet carries sensation into the boldest conception, profoundest intuition and subtlest and most complex classification. It makes them give passionate experiences, communicable in vivid imageries and in rich varied music. Dr. Johnson has followed Sprat for guidance but he does not fail to give his own ideas and opinions. He has compared two great poets of dissimilar genius, Milton and Cowley.
He has shown that Cowley and Milton may be compared but the advantage seems to lie on the side of Cowley. Milton expresses the thoughts of ancients in their language, but Cowley, without much loss of purity and elegance, accommodates the diction of Rome to his own conception. Mr. Sprat related that "When they told Cowley how little favour had been shown him, he received the news of his ill success, not with so much firmness as might have been expected from so great a man."
The metaphysical poets usually wrote love poems and religious poems. Donne, Marvell, Cowley and Vaughn wrote both these types of poems. According to Dr. Johnson, the love poems of the metaphysicals have a different character and philosophy. Cowley added more perplexities to love. With the passage of time love also changes its character. Earlier "Flesh" was an important theme in love, but with the age it changes in and that can be perceived in him now. Everything is inconstant. Incest is now a taboo and now attraction of flesh withers away.
Dr. Johnson emphasises that the tears of lovers are of great poetical accounts and it is difficult to be properly comprehended. The readers may read it again and again to find its proper meaning. Dr. Johnson finds in Donne's love poems two souls are combined and mixed and the two become one. Cowley describes his mistress bathing wonderful. According to Dr. Johnson, Cowley may be considered to be the best of metaphysical poets and he had a great variety of style and sentiment. It ranges from levity to grandeur.
The metaphysical poets used the conceits to serve their purpose. Wit is an important feature of metaphysical poetry. Metaphysical poetry has more music and much sentiment. Ordinary readers were not acquainted with this kind of style and use of conceits.
We may conclude with the features of Johnson's writings that Cowley was a greater poet than Donne and his style of writing was really remarkable. Cowley is a wonderful poet no doubt but it is not fair to comment that in adopting the metaphysical style Cowley surpassed his predecessors.
Consider Dr. Samuel Johnson as a critic and biographer with special reference to "The Life of Cowley"?
Or, Give an account of Dr. Samuel Johnson as a critic and biographer from your reading of Life of Cowley.
Ans. Dr. Samuel Johnson was a notable figure among his contemporaries. His physical traits have been given permanence by the painter Reynolds in a speaking portrait. The portrait gives us the questioning and frowning gaze. It has the expression of concentrated and somewhat bitter seriousness. He began his life in the midst of books in his father's shop. He was a voracious reader and dipped into everything. His classicism was founded upon his habit and its stability was gained in the search after a disciplined order. He was an orthodox and had a respect for traditional hierarchies. He possessed a rational attitude of mind as well as conservative tendencies.
The progress of his doctrine, the secret movement of a thought that his shifting towards the future, are less obvious in The Lives of the Poets. But these short compact memoirs are frequently regarded as little masterpieces. Johnson was limited in his choice by the preferences of the publishers and therefore he accepted a perspective of literature which dated the rise of English poetry from Cowley. He approached the task imposed upon him as a psychologist. Here again in a broad sense he was a moralist, no less than as a critic.
The progress of his doctrine, the secret movement of a thought that his shifting towards the future, are less obvious in The Lives of the Poets. But these short compact memoirs are frequently regarded as little masterpieces. Johnson was limited in his choice by the preferences of the publishers and therefore he accepted a perspective of literature which dated the rise of English poetry from Cowley. He approached the task imposed upon him as a psychologist. Here again in a broad sense he was a moralist, no less than as a critic.
Beside the main figures, there pass before our eyes the minor ones, verse writers of noble birth and penurious men of letters. It was one of the reasons that Cowley gain a place in his Lives of the Poets. He was conscientious and grave tempered by humour. Johnson_did not hesitate to distribute praise and blame. His measure of literacy merit is impartial. His attitude is firm and decided. It rests upon principles that are clearly conceived. In a sense it may be called dogmatic. It does not exclude delicate differences and tolerate the individual varieties of temperaments, even it does not always show all the same degree of sympathy.
Johnson overwhelmingly appreciates the poems of Cowley and makes him a great metaphysical poet but does not hesitate a bit to expose the shortcomings and failings in his writing. He appraises the significance of life of Cowley at its full value and traces back the work to the man. But he does not get rid of a certain puritan narrowness. His mind is equipped with a kind of subtle relativism, which goes straight to the essential. These are the main traits of Johnson found in his Lives of the Poets. He is not only a biographer but also the crític who goes straight to the essential, seizes the kernel of ideas or of moral substance in the works of Cowley and bases his estimate upon the inner element.
Johnson therefore appreciates Cowley from the standpoint of the moralist, first of all and properly speaking as the philosopher. He appreciates Cowley as the artist. He feels and judges from in certain cases with felicity and sureness. No doubt, he attached essential importance to construction to harmony of tone, to transition, to all the techniques of classicism.
Write on Burke's prose style.
Ans. Burke was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator and political philosopher. He served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. He was not only a great orator but also a prolific writer. His writings cover the enormous range of the political and economic thought of the age and mingle fact and fancy, philosophy, statistics, and brilliant flight of the imagination. As he was a one of the finest parliamentary orators in Britain, his prose style is characterized by proportion, dignity and harmony.
Burke's is the prose of an orator. He employs all the rhetorical devices and figures in his writing. When we read his speeches, we seem to hear the living voice. His style is the most strictly suited to the subject. Burke is a writer of romantic prose. The relation between Burke and the Romanticist is his power of investing with interest and colour, the past experience of the race, and of making it appeal to the imagination. In short, Burke, like Scott and Wordsworth, was a Romanticist in feeling, though often a Classicist in expression.
Poetry is life force, the moving force of Burke's speech. In fact, he is the poet in prose. His eloquence is remarkable and his wisdom is profound and contemplative. He speaks in figures, images, symbols. The musical cadence of his sentences reflects the influence of his wide reading of poetry. Burke's language proves that he belongs to the new romantic school, while in style he is model for the formal classicists. His passions and feelings, his personal agony and anxiety towards the tyranny of the East India Company finds a spontaneous expression in his speech.
"Worse, far worse, has been the fact of the poor creatures of the natives of India, whom the hypocrisy of the Company has betrayed into complaint of oppression and discovery of peculation."
Burke's style is dignified rather than graceful. His speech is all through marked by the devices of the orator, - rhythm, alliteration, assonance, consonance, repetition, careful arrangement and balance of parts etc. The following lines in which Burke attacks Hastings are most rhythmic:
"Crimes so convenient, crimes so politic, crimes so necessary, crimes so alleviating of distress, can never be wanting to those who use no process, and who produce no proofs."
Burke is a master of what is called amplification. His prose is responsive to all the demands of thought and emotion, all the moods and tones. He is ingenious when he wishes to bring in confusion. He is disgressive when he wants to clinch a knotty point in an argument. His style has a varied pattern. It is at once ample and exact, diffuse and condensed. If he is exuberant, he is also restrained; if he is fiery, he is also faithful to facts and figures.
Burke uses antitheses to sharpen the edge of an argument in the right place. In his speeches, he uses irony and sarcasm and these are his favourite weapons which supply his deficiency in the lack of humour. Skilful use of ironies and sarcasm is one of the important features of a great orator and Burke is unique in this regard. His "Speech on the East India Bill" is replete with ironies uttered in sarcastic tone. For example, when Burke says that the East India Company has 60,000 armed men, it runs the commerce of "half the globe", he actually means that it is not supposed to have say so very subtle irony.
The following example reflects Burke's use of sharp irony and sarcasm :"The Tartar invasion was mischievous; but it is our protection that destroys India. It was their enmity, but it is our friendship. Our conquest there, after twenty years, is as crude as it was the first day."
Burke had a wealth of classical allusions and historical illustrations which are unmistakable proofs of his scholarship and erudition. The manner in which he diversifies his arguments is a remarkable point of method. He would very often insert descriptive passage to relieve a dry argument. Burke's use of language is marked by both long and short sentences. In his "Speech on the East India Bill" longest period are both preceded and followed by short sentences to relieve the monotony. Other devices used by Burke are: rhetorical anticipation of an opponent's objections, his pretended modesty, his colloquialisms, understatements, inversions, epigrams and condensed metaphor.
The style of Burke has its defects too. There is little humour in Burke. To be a perfect prose writer, a man must sometime bank upon thrilling and soul-subduing instruments, but Burke never takes the trumpet from his lips. The greatest of English prose writers, we may be sure, would be found to have some command over laughter and tears but Burke has none.
To sum up, in all its varieties of his ornate style, it is noble, earnest, deep flowing because Burke's sentiment was lofty and fervid. His prose is very often the prose of impassioned eloquence in which four chords vibrate alternately-reasoning, emotion, imagination and moral fervour but all are held in proper balance and sequence, Burke is the greatest master in English of the rhetoric of political wisdom.
Describe Burke's critique of Hastings' in his Speech on the East India Bill.
Or, How does Burke criticize Hastings and his lieutenants in his Speech on the East India Bill?
Ans. Warren Hastings (1732-1818) was the first and most famous of the British governors-general of India. He dominated Indian affairs from 1772 to 1785 and was impeached on his return to England. Burke in his Speech on the East India Bill criticizes Hastings and his lieutenants bitterly. Hastings is the root of all evils in India. He exercised absolute power and authority over the country. He became the symbol of despotism, tyranny, atrocity, corruption and arbitrariness.
One of the major concerns of the speech was the impeachment of Warren Hastings. Hastings stands for what is bad, destructive and dehumanizing. He is the prime accomplice in Company's maladministration in India. Hastings was not a born enemy of Burke. But Burke went against him because of the violation of natural justice, laws of England by its servants. Burke was indignant against Hastings because he saw Hastings as the nominal superior of all the East India Company's holdings, He, in fact, looked upon Hastings as a sym of lawless power and became eager to put on restrictions to the unbridled corruption of the Company under the leadership of Hastings.
Burke presented Hastings as a destructive force. His bad policies and despotic style of governing yielded nothing but destruction. His insolent and tyrannous acts brought about the destruction of the Rajah of Benares. Burke says "The unhappy prince was expelled, and his more unhappy country was enslaved and ruined; but not a - rupee was acquired."
Hastings was a man devoid of sympathy and humanity. He did not impart justice to any of the Indians. Hastings sold Shah Alam, the whole nation of the Afghan Rohillas for money. In 1774 Hafiz Rhamet Khan, a leading Rohilla chief, was slain and his head was cut off and delivered for money to a barbarian. His wife and children were seen begging handful of rice through the English camp. The whole nation was massacred and the country was damaged by the invasion and turned into a dreary desert and jungles. He was a money monger who is provoked by insatiable avarice.
Hastings's lust for money is depicted in his treatment of the Begums of Oude who were ruthlessly and hypocritically plundered and pillaged by the agents of the Company. The two old women were forced to give money to the Company. Their jewels and other personal possessions were taken and were sold at auction. Thus, the Begums of Oude were victims of the Company under the governance of Warren Hastings.
Breaching of treaties was another hobby of Hastings, Hastings, the governor general, himself admits in his letter to the directors that he has not been very respectful with regard to public faith. The Company has broken the treaty with the Mogul, by which it was stipulated to pay him 260,000 pounds annually. The Company did not pay him a shilling.
They promised to the Nawabs of Bengal after the Treaty of Allahabad to pay 400,000 pounds a year, but they did. not keep their promise. As the soldier, Najaf Khan had sided with the British, he had been granted a pension of two lakhs of rupees in 1765, but the Company broke the article. They also broke their treaties with the Nizam and with Hyder Ali. They had also broken so many treaties with the Marathas.
Hastings spares none who has oppo him and who met with the applauses of the Directors. Colonel Manson was a good man and received the applauses of the Directors. General Clavering also received applauses. They had opposed Hastings on the Supreme Council. As a result they were ruined by Hastings.
The fate of the native Indians was much worse than the British subject. Hypocrisy was the hallmark of the East India Company and the natives of India were ruined by the hypocrisy of the Company. The first women in Bengal such as the Rani of Rajeshahi, the Rani of Burdwan, and the Rani of Amboa put their thoughtless trust in the Company's honour and protection but they were ruined by the hypocrisy and fraudulence of the Company.
Mahomed Reza Khan, the second Mussulman in Bengal was destroyed for having been distinguished by the protection of the Court of Directors. His ancient rival for power, Rajah Nundcomar was hanged in the face of his people for a consequence of providing evidence against Hastings. Mr. Hastings spared none who opposed him or provided any evidence of peculation against him. Burke describes that from that time not a complaint has been heard from the natives against their governors.
Thus, the natives of India fall victim to the maladministration of Hastings. In the Speech on the East India Bill Hasting has been depicted as a predatory animal. Burke's presentation of Warren Hastings reminds us of the treatment of villain in a morality play. In Burke's term what Hastings has done is "Crimes so convenient, crimes so politic, crimes so necessary, crimes so alleviating of distress."
Addison is the pioneer of the English novel. Discuss.
Or, Discuss Coverley Papers as the first sketch of English novel.
Ans. Novel is fictional writing about the people and events. Very often, while reading a paper from The Coverley Paper by Addison and Steele, we have the feeling as if we were reading a page from a novel. And it is commented that their essays, particularly, foreboded the arrival of the novel. The elements of a novel i.e. character or characters, incidents (loosely or well-knit into a "plot"), some sort of narrative which carries to forward the plot, artistic unity, and stimulating dialogue are found in The Spectator Papers.
Characters are the life-breath of a novel. Even if some novels may be 'plotless' none can be without characters. The greatness of a novelist is measured, wrongly or rightly, by his success in the field of characterization. The success of Addison and Steele in creating viable and lifelike character is too well-known to need any mention. One of the chief reasons for their greatness at characterization is that they can import surprising "life-likeness to their characters.
In all, we thus have from their pen hundreds of essays, which are of nearly uniform length, of almost unvarying excellence of style, and of a wide diversity of subject. They are a faithful reflection of the life of the time viewed with an aloof and dispassionate observation. Their aim was to point out "those vices which are too trivial for the chastisement of the law, and too fantastical for the cognizance of the pulpit."
The narrative quality of novel is found in The Coverly Papers. The essays are appeared as a story before the readers. For example, The Spectator's Account of Himself is appeared like an autobiographical novel though in very short size.
Like novels there is artistic unity in The Coverley Papers. Artistic unity means the condition of a successful literary work whereby all its elements work together for the achievement of its central purpose. And it is found in the essays of Addison and Steele.
The dialogues in these essays are occasionally bright and stimulating, for the style of the essayist is unquestionably elegant, lucid, urbane, and polished. Sir Roger's talk, for example, about the widow creates the illusion of real life.
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