A description of how literature was the means to the rise of individualism through the 17th and 18th centuries.
Written in 2008; 2,412 words; 9 sources; MLA; $ 73.95
Paper Summary:
This paper charts the growth of individualism through literature. It puts individualism forward as the characteristic trait of Western civilization, and then discovers its origins in the humanism of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation and stresses that literature played an active role in this regard. The paper looks at how Ben Jonson created individuated spaces of expression while composing praise poems to the new aristocracy and how John Donne and George Herbert composed religious poems that are informed by metaphysical speculation. The paper also examines how the emancipation of women is a crucial factor, because it is through female sensibility that the novel develops its full potential, and eventually becomes the ideal medium of individual expression. The paper analyzes the key writers and their innovations, and carefully puts them into the context of political history.
From the Paper:
"Ben Jonson, for example, composed poems of praise to aristocratic patrons. These are not meant for wider publication and only circulate within the aristocratic community, thus creating a space for secular expression. The ideals promulgated through this literature follow those of the classical world of Rome and Athens - urbanity, civility, order, temperance, clarity etc. "To Penshurst" is a paean to the ancestral home of Sir Robert Sidney. Jonson uses Latin descriptive names profusely, apportions classic virtues to the inhabitants, and overall gives the impression of "Rome transplanted". It is not the gaudy ostentation of the homes of the uncultured nobles, but rather reflects rationality and moderation: "their lords have built, but thy lord dwells" (264)."
We have thousands of high-quality term papers, research papers, essays, book reports and dissertations on every topic. At AcaDemon, you can download those term papers to help you write yours! You can be sure that the term paper, essay, book report or research paper you download are top-quality, competitively priced and high-level work.
This Free Term Paper Abstract is a part of our Term Paper Library.Here you can purchase research papers, examples of essays, academic dissertations, articles, notes, analytical papers, book reports, stories and poems. We have thousands of persuasive, point-of-view, narrative, critical, compare and contrast and other types of essays in our Library. You can also find here Term papers on "Individualism and Literature", Essays on "Individualism and Literature", Research papers on "Individualism and Literature", Student papers on "Individualism and Literature", Book reports on "Individualism and Literature", Dissertation on "Individualism and Literature", Thesis on "Individualism and Literature", Summary of paper on "Individualism and Literature", Articles written on "Individualism and Literature".
Look for more research papers, essays and book reports on