Restoration Literature Questions
Bring on the tough stuff. There's not just one right answer.
- Considering how much Restoration literature was influenced by French literature (particularly by the work of playwrights such as Molière and Jean Racine), on what basis can we draw a distinction between Restoration literature and French literature of the period? Is language the only means of drawing a distinction between the French and English literature of this period?
- In what ways is Restoration literature an "anti-Puritan" literature?
- Considering how varied the literary works of this period are (works that range from drama, to poetry, to novels, to religious literature and epic), can we generalize about the literature of this period in a useful way?
- Why do you think that comedy and satire became so important during the Restoration period? What does this suggest about the perspective of the writers of this era?
- John Milton is one of the most important writers in the history of English literature, and his most famous work, the epic Paradise Lost , was published during the Restoration period. Even though his writing was published during the Restoration period, he was a Puritan and an anti-Royalist. Can we consider him a "Restoration" writer, given that the perspective of his work was so different from that of his contemporaries?
- Restoration literature is defined by a political event: the restoration of monarchy in England in 1660. What does the Restoration period teach us about the relationship between literature and politics?
- The most important plays produced during the Restoration period were comedies of manners. How does the theater of this period compare to and/or contrast with Elizabethan theater and the age of Shakespeare?
- Why do you think that the literature of the period—and particularly the theater—placed such an emphasis on sex and sexual innuendo?
- John Dryden is considered to be the most important figure in Restoration literature. Why do you think he was so influential?
- While it's clear when this period in English literature begins (in 1660 with the restoration of monarchy in England), it's not so clear when it ends. Some critics draw the line at 1700, others later. How do we decide when Restoration literature "ends"?