Neoclassical Criticism Lecture Notes

100 practice flashcards in Question and Answer format covering Neoclassical Criticism, Enlightenment philosophy, Deism, John Dryden, and Dr. Samuel Johnson.

What is the "aesthetics of identity" in Neoclassicism?

The principle that beauty is found in the familiar, liking art that is like what has been seen before.

What is the "aesthetics of opposition" in Romanticism?

The principle that beauty is found in that which is new and different.

How does Neoclassicism differ from the Renaissance regarding individual perspectives?

The Renaissance emphasized individualism of perspectives, whereas Neoclassicism required conformity to classical values.

What classical values does Neoclassicism demand conformity to?

Objectivity, impersonality, rationality, decorum, moderation, and harmony.

How does Neoclassicism view literary composition compared to the Renaissance?

While the Renaissance viewed composition as invention and creativity, Neoclassicism viewed it as rational and rule-bound, the result of craft, labour, and study.

How did Neoclassicism treat literary genres differently from the Renaissance?

Neoclassicism maintained the separation of poetry and prose and upheld the purity and hierarchy of genres, whereas the Renaissance embraced new and mixed genres.

How do the Renaissance and Neoclassicism contrast in their views of human potential?

The Renaissance emphasized limitless human potential, whereas Neoclassicism emphasized the recognition of human finitude.

How did Neoclassicism view human nature in contrast to the Renaissance?

The Renaissance held man as essentially good, whereas Neoclassicism held that man is essentially imperfect, sinful, and evil.

Who laid the philosophical foundation for Neoclassicism?

Thomas Hobbes ($1588-1679$).

According to Neoclassical philosophy, what serves as a better foundation for poetry than inspiration?

Reason and wisdom.

How does Neoclassicism view poetry from an empiricist viewpoint?

As a somewhat mechanical result of experience, of judgment, and "fancy".

What term replaced Neoclassical "fancy" during the Romantic period?

"imagination".

Who rejected Thomas Hobbes' view that human nature is naturally competitive and violent?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his theory of the natural man as essentially good.

What political theory did Thomas Hobbes support?

Divine Right Theory.

How did Thomas Hobbes describe life in a 'State of War' without an absolute sovereign?

"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short".

Which royal dynasty endorsed Divine Right Theory according to the notes?

The Stuarts.

Where do the roots of Neoclassicism lie?

In the Enlightenment.

According to Enlightenment principles, what is reason used for?

To discover laws of nature.

How did Enlightenment thinkers believe societal change should be brought about?

By intelligent debate rather than force.

What was the central Enlightenment belief regarding human equality?

The belief that all men are free and equal.

What religious philosophy was embraced during the Enlightenment?

Monotheistic Deism.

What economic structure was advocated by Enlightenment thinkers?

A free market.

What are the birth and death years of Francis Bacon?

$1561-1626$.

In which $1605$ work did Francis Bacon outline the method of induction?

The Advancement of Learning.

How is Francis Bacon's method of induction defined?

Generalizing on the basis of actual observation of a number of particular occurrences.

What medieval method did Francis Bacon contrast with induction?

Deduction or a priori reasoning.

What is the main thesis of Francis Bacon's $1620$ work The New Organon?

Knowledge can arise only from actual observation of nature, not through medieval practices like logic or syllogism.

What are the birth and death years of René Descartes?

$1596-1650$.

Who is recognized as the "Father of modern philosophy"?

René Descartes.

Which work by René Descartes initiated skeptical thinking by doubting everything?

Discourse on Method.

What first principle did René Descartes establish from his skeptical doubting?

"I think, therefore I am".

In Cartesian dualism, how is the mind defined?

As a thinking substance that possesses innate ideas.

In Cartesian dualism, how is the body characterized?

It belongs to the world of space, time, and material extension.

What view of the world did René Descartes perpetuate through his dualism?

A mechanistic view of the world.

What are the birth and death years of Baruch Spinoza?

$1632-1677$.

Where was Baruch Spinoza born and why was he expelled from his community?

Born a Jew in Amsterdam, he was expelled for holding unorthodox views.

How did Baruch Spinoza's view of substance differ from Cartesian dualism?

He rejected dualism and argued that the universe is composed of a single substance, called God.

What is the title and publication year of Baruch Spinoza's major work on ethics?

Ethics ($1677$).

According to Spinoza's Ethics, what constitutes the highest good?

The rational mastery of one's passions, and accepting the order and harmony in nature.

What are the birth and death years of John Locke?

$1632-1704$.

Which $1690$ work by John Locke denied Descartes' view that the mind has innate ideas?

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding.

What concept did John Locke use to describe the mind at birth?

Tabula rasa or blank slate upon which experience is written.

According to John Locke, through what two avenues do all ideas enter the mind?

Sensation or reflection.

Which $1690$ work by John Locke justified England's new political system after the Glorious Revolution?

Two Treatises of Civil Government.

How did David Hume develop John Locke's empiricist ideas?

Towards more radical, skeptical conclusions, arguing that we know only ideas, not the external world itself.

According to David Hume, how is the human self constructed?

As a construction through a succession of perceptions, with no essences in the world.

Who popularized the philosophical ideas of John Locke and the scientific ideas of Sir Isaac Newton?

Voltaire.

What are the birth and death years of Sir Isaac Newton?

$1642-1727$.

How did Sir Isaac Newton alter the worldview of the universe?

His conception of a mechanical universe ordered by scientifically ascertainable laws displaced the view of a universe ordered by divine providence.

What are the lifespan dates given for Voltaire, Denis Diderot, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau?

Voltaire ($1694-1778$), Denis Diderot ($1713-1784$), Baron de Montesquieu ($1689-1755$), Jean-Jacques Rousseau ($1712-1778$).

What are the four unlimited attributes of God in Western theistic thought?

Omniscience (knowledge), omnipotence (power), omnipresence (extension), and moral perfection.

How does Western theism conceive of God's role in the governance of the world?

As personal, present, and active in the governance and organization of the world and universe.

How did Deism originate relative to traditional theism?

As a philosophical form of theism that used reason as its source of knowledge of God.

On what basis can the existence of God be proved according to Deism?

Based on the application of reason, observation, and experience.

What does Deism deny regarding divine truth?

Denies revelation (revealing truth through communication with a deity).

How is Nature defined in Deist philosophy?

The inherent order of the universe (The Great Chain of Being).

What analogy is used in Deism to describe God and the universe?

God as the clockmaker who built a clockwork universe governed by immutable laws.

What is the Deist stance on miracles and divine intervention?

God does not perform miracles and does not tinker with the watch after its creation.

From what is the existence of God deduced in Deism?

From the ordered structure of the universe (patterns, variety, and complexity of Nature) rather than the Bible.

How do Deists view the Bible?

As a great moral authority, while regarding irrational aspects like miracles and the divinity of Christ as superstitions.

Who popularized the ideas of Deism?

Voltaire.

Who applied the term "Augustan Age" to the Neoclassical period?

Dr. Samuel Johnson.

Why was the $18\text{th}$ century called the "Augustan Age"?

It was considered to be as brilliant and glorious as the age of Augustus Caesar in Rome.

What are the two phases of Neoclassical criticism and their characteristics?

Age of Dryden (liberal and moderate) and Age of Johnson, Pope & Addison (narrow, slavish, stringent).

Against what literary style did Neoclassicism revolt?

The excesses of the Metaphysicals.

Which English monarch patronized French classicism, promoting its influence in England?

Charles II.

Which scientific body influenced Neoclassical emphasis on clarity, simplicity, and rationalism?

The Royal Society.

What does "be true to type" mean in Neoclassical criticism?

Adhering to the specific characteristics of a particular age, sex, or profession.

Why did Neoclassical critics believe originality was not possible?

Because writers must follow universal truths, reality, and the ancient masters.

What is the primary function of poetry in Neoclassical theory?

To instruct and delight, with the didactic function being more important than the aesthetic one.

What was the Neoclassical view regarding poetic diction and verse structure?

Poetic language should be more elevated than prose, rhyme is superior to blank verse, and heroic measure is the right measure for poetry.

What are the birth and death years of John Dryden?

$1631-1700$.

What title did Dr. Samuel Johnson attribute to John Dryden regarding English prose?

Founder of modern prose style.

What are four major critical works by John Dryden listed in the notes?

Essay on Dramatic Poesy, Essay on Satire, Essay on Heroic Tragedy, and Essay on Fables.

Why did Dr. Samuel Johnson call John Dryden the "Father of English criticism"?

Because Dryden "taught us to determine upon principles the merit of composition".

How did John Dryden's approach to critical rules differ from Ben Jonson and Sir Philip Sidney?

Dryden was anti-dogmatic and sceptical; he discovered rules rather than laying them down.

Which work by Ben Jonson was analyzed by Dryden in the first critical analysis of a literary work in English?

The Silent Woman.

In what three critical methods was John Dryden a pioneer?

Historical criticism, comparative criticism, and liberal classicism.

What positions characterize John Dryden as a liberal Neoclassicist?

No slavish adherence to rules, justification of unities violation for variety, preference for irregular English plays over regular French plays, and defense of tragi-comedy.

What is the primary aim of satire according to John Dryden's Essay on Satire?

"the correction of manners".

Which Roman satirist did John Dryden prefer over Juvenal in his Essay on Satire?

Horace.

What are the themes and function of a heroic play according to Dryden's Essay on Heroic Tragedy?

Themes are love and valour; function is to arouse admiration rather than Aristotelian pity and fear.

Which classic authors were translated or analyzed in John Dryden's Essay on Fables?

Homer, Ovid, Boccaccio, and Geoffrey Chaucer.

How did John Dryden describe Geoffrey Chaucer in Essay on Fables?

"a perpetual fountain of good sense; learned in all sciences, and therefore speaks properly on all subjects."

What famous quote did Dryden use to describe the character variety in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales?

"here's God's plenty".

How did John Dryden assess Chaucer's language and versification?

He considered Chaucer a rough diamond that should be refined and polished.

What occasion prompted John Dryden to write Essay on Dramatic Poesy ($1668$)?

Sorbiere, a Frenchman, wrote unfavourably on English science and stage, and Dryden had a public debate with Sir Robert Howard over rhyme.

What is the structural form of John Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy?

A dialogue in the manner of Plato's Republic, presenting a free give and take of views without magisterial conclusions.

In Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy, who does Crites represent and what is his stance?

Crites represents Sir Robert Howard; stands for the ancients, expounds the extreme classical view, and attacks rhyme violently.

In Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy, who does Eugenius represent and what is his stance?

Eugenius represents Charles Sackville; defends the moderns, asserting moderns have experience plus ancient rules, and argues ancient plays neither delight nor instruct.

In Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy, who does Lisideius represent and what is his stance?

Lisideius represents Charles Sedley; advocates the superiority of French plays, upholds the three unities, and prefers rhyme over English blank verse.

What is Lisideius' famous definition of a play in Essay on Dramatic Poesy?

A "just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind."

In Dryden's Essay on Dramatic Poesy, who does Neander represent and what is his stance?

Neander represents John Dryden; advocates the superiority of English plays over French and Ancients, defending tragi-comedy, variety, and rhyme.

What was Neander's famous comparison between Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare?

"I admire him (Jonson); but I love Shakespeare".

How did Neander describe William Shakespeare's soul and learning?

Shakespeare had "the largest and the most comprehensive soul" and was "naturally learned, not through books but by the reading of nature and all her images".

How did Neander compare Shakespeare and Jonson to Roman/Greek classical epic poets?

Shakespeare was the Homer, or father of dramatic poets; Jonson was the Vergil, the pattern of elaborate writing.

How did John Dryden interpret Mimesis?

In social rather than philosophical terms, as the presentation of an image of human nature rather than Aristotelian representation of an action.

What four arguments did Dryden use to defend tragi-comedy?

Contraries set off each other; comic scenes refresh and relieve; compassion and mirth coexist in nature; tragi-comedy is a new way of writing unknown to the Ancients.

What four major critical works of Dr. Samuel Johnson are listed in the transcript?

Preface to the Dictionary, Preface to Shakespeare, Lives of the Poets, and Essays and Articles.

What work by Dr. Samuel Johnson, published in $1765$, defended Shakespeare's drama and characterization?

Preface to Shakespeare.