John Donne & the ‘Amorous Lady’ of Barbados
While John Donne and the ‘Amorous Lady’ of the Barbados Gazette lived a hundred years apart, their poetry has much in common . . . a ” peculiar fusion of intellect … Continue reading
The ‘Anonymous Lady’
A series of poems by the ‘Anonymous’ or ‘Amorous’ lady were published in “The Barbados Gazette” between 1732 and 1738. Her identity is never revealed by the newspaper’s editor, however, … Continue reading
Getting Dressed in the 18th Century
It took so long to get dressed in the 18th century that it’s a miracle any of these people ever left the house. See for yourself in this fascinating and … Continue reading
Eat Thine Pantaloons: Satire Then & Now
Posted by Gabrielle Zitka Satire is an art of walking a thin line between ridicule, humor, irony, and social commentary. It can take the form of literature, songs, television shows, … Continue reading
Literary Critics Then and Now
Posted by: Jazmin Williams Major Literary Critics from the Restoration/Neoclassical Era Major Literary Critics of the 20th-Century
Johnson: The Rambling Teacher
Posted by: Ioan Stoica Samuel Johnson published the first article of The Rambler in March, 1750; by March 1752, when he had done, he had published 208 articles. The Rambler … Continue reading
Feminism: Let’s Take It Back to the Start
Posted by: Emily Robinson It seems Feminism today has taken on a different meaning than it did from the start. When Feminism was first established, the movement was presented as … Continue reading
Pirate Newton: Theft of Color
Posted by: Laura Redman Sir Isaac Newton was a man of many talents. From astronomy, science, and physics, he developed multiple theories and laws— the Theory of Color, Laws of Gravity, … Continue reading
A Diss Through Time
Posted by: Jessica Norman John Dryden wrote Mac Flecknoe to be a satire on Thomas Shadwell as a writer and poet. This was a direct response to Shadwell’s satire The … Continue reading
Slave Narratives: Does It Matter Who Tells the Story?
Have you ever told someone a story about something that happened in your life? Maybe it was the story of how you broke your arm when you fell out of … Continue reading
The Book of English
Posted by Diana Esquivel Think of a moment when you have experienced acute memory loss while spelling a word, or a time you weren’t sure of the correct definition of … Continue reading
Ever Changing English
Posted by: Kathryn Concepcion “Total and sudden transformations of a language seldom happen.” These words were written by Samuel Johnson, father of the English dictionary, in the Preface to A … Continue reading
Mom! Swift’s Picking On Me!
Posted by: Riley Clark Unlike the common belief that Jonathan Swift was a lady-hater while he was alive, he was in fact the ladies’ man. Swift had one woman drooling … Continue reading
All Lives Matter
Posted by Gina Foster For unknown reasons, our educational system in the United States fans the flame of racism in our country. It skews the issue of slavery by presenting … Continue reading
A Pilgrim’s Persecution?
Posted by: Dasheek Dennis As history is revealed and the future unfolds, religious controversy is nothing new and nothing old. The friction caused by religion tends to spark a roaring … Continue reading
“A Modest Proposal”: An Old Solution to a Modern Problem
Posted by: Elizabeth Vance Jonathan Swift’s essay has long been regarded as a satirical disquisition that parodies Swift as a humanitarian attempting to alleviate Ireland of its burdensome, impoverished citizens. … Continue reading
If it Ain’t Baroque, Don’t Fix it: Satire and Breaking Norms in The Beggar’s Opera
Posted by: Shawn Flickner The Beggar’s Opera, written by John Gay, first premiered on January 29th, 1728. It was “the first recorded long running play, which managed 62 successive performances … Continue reading
The Irony of Daniel Defoe’s Argument’s Success vs. Mary Astell’s
Posted by: Patricia Niculas Both Daniel Defoe’s Roxana and Mary Astell’s Some Reflections Upon Marriage dissect the idea of marriage and propose their objections from a woman’s perspective. While both … Continue reading
The Amorous Lady: A Critique on the Past and Current Conceptions of Art
Posted by: Katelyn Lindsey The definition of art has always been something widely discussed within different groups; what’s even more controversial is the idea on how one should do ‘proper … Continue reading
Mirror, Mirror on the wall…How do I know what I know at all?
Posted by: Laura Walsh John Locke uprooted the famous theories of Renee Descartes, often referred to as the father of philosophy, with his groundbreaking epistemology that challenged innate knowledge and … Continue reading
Aphra Behn, Closet Abolitionist?
Posted by: Leah Avitabile “Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret” – Aphra Behn Little is known of Behn besides her writing. Fortunately, her … Continue reading
Marriage Advice from Lady Roxana: A Modern Interpretation of Her Reasoning
Posted by: Eleanor Reeves Marriage tends to be a popular topic of discussion these days among women. Whether a woman is married or single, it is on their mind; they’re … Continue reading
Lady’s Dressing Rooms Haven’t Changed All That Much Since 1732
Posted by: Amy Warner What does Jonathon Swift know about modern make-up struggles? The answer is nearly everything. In his poem, “The Lady’s Dressing Room”, written in 1732, he discusses … Continue reading
The Inspiration and Legend of Aphra Behn
You may have never heard of her, but the career of Aphra Behn was a turning point in the history of female authors. Although there were many female poets before … Continue reading
An Age of Criticism – Dryden and Pope: Raw Talent or Learned Skill
On Criticism and Genius Alexander Pope developed an appreciation for the art of criticism from an early age. It was his father who, “would assign verses to the little boy … Continue reading
Dryden and Pope: The Art of Writing
John Dryden and Alexander Pope came from different educational backgrounds and perspectives. Dryden received a classical education and was a graduate of Trinity College. On the other hand, Pope did … Continue reading
The Educational Divide: Perspectives and Advice for the Modern Writer . . .
Courtesy of John Dryden and Alexander Pope John Dryden was formally educated, and like many people of means, may not have fully appreciated the advantages his education afforded him. Alexander … Continue reading
Aphra Behn: Spy, Prisoner, Writer . . . Pioneer of Feminism.
“… faith, Sir, we are here to Day, and gone to Morrow.” — Aphra Behn, The Lucky Chance Behn’s Literary Impact In her time, Aphra Behn was mysterious and unique. … Continue reading
Dryden and the Age of Satire
“Learn to write well, or not to write at all” Essay on Satire “Of all the tyrannies on human kind The worst is that which persecutes the mind” The Hind … Continue reading
