History of English Literature - Hippolyte Taine - Google Books

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of Richard Coeur de Lion, and voyages of Sir

John Mandeville-Poorness of the literature in-

troduced and implanted in England—Why it has

not endured on the Continent or in England

The Saxons in England-Endurance of the Saxon
nation, and formation of the English constitution
--Endurance of the Saxon character, and forma-
tion of the English character.

VII.-IX. Comparison of the ideal hero in France and

England--Fabliaux of Reynard, and ballads of

Robin Hood-How the Saxon character makes

way for and supports political liberty---Compa-

rison of the condition of the Commons in France

and England-Theory of the English constitu-

tion, by Sir John Fortescue-How the Saxon

constitution makes way for and supports political

liberty-Situation of the Church, and precursors

of the Reformation in England-Piers Plowman

and Wycliffe-How the Saxon character and the

situation of the Norman Church made way for

religious reform-Incompleteness and importance

of the national literature Why it has not

The New Tongue.

Chaucer His education-His political and social

life-Wherein his talent was serviceable-He

paints the second feudal society

How the middle age degenerated-Decline of the

serious element in manners, books, and works of

art-Need of excitement-Analogies of archi-

tecture and literature

IIL

VI.

-

Wherein Chaucer belongs to the middle-age
Romantic and ornamental poems-Le Roman de
la Rose-Troilus and Cressida-Canterbury Tales
-Order of description and events-The House of
Fame Fantastic dreams and visions - Love

poems-Troilus and Cressida-Exaggerated de-

velopment of love in the middle age-Why the

mind took this path-Mystic love-The Flower

and the Leaf-Sensual love-Troilus and Cressida

Wherein Chaucer is French-Satirical and jovial

poems-Canterbury Tales-The Wife of Bath and

marriage-The mendicant friar and religion-

Buffoonery, waggery, and coarseness in the

Wherein Chaucer was English and original-Idea

of character and individual-Van Eyck and

Chaucer contemporary-Prologue to Canterbury

Tales-Portraits of the franklin, monk, miller,

citizen, knight, squire, prioress, the good clerk-

Connection of events and characters--General

idea-Importance of the same— -Chaucer a pre-

cursor of the Reformation-He halts by the way

--Tediousness and Childishness-Causes of this

feebleness-His prose, and scholastic notion—

How he is isolated in his age.

Connection of philosophy and poetry-How general
notions failed under the scholastic philosophy-
Why poetry failed-Comparison of civilisation
and decadence in the middle age, and in Spain-
Extinction of the English literature-Translators
-Rhyming chroniclers-Didactic poets-Com-
pilers of moralities-Gower-Occleve-Lydgate
Analogy of taste in costumes, buildings, and
literature-Sad notion of fate, and human misery
-Hawes-Barclay-Skelton--Elements of the

012

BOOK II. THE RENAISSANCE.

The Pagan Renaissance.

§ 1. MANNERS OF THE TIME.

Idea which men had formed of the world, since the

dissolution of the old society-How and why

human inventiveness reappears-The form of the

spirit of the Renaissance-The representation of

objects is imitative, characteristic, and complete

Why the ideal changes-Improvement of the state

of man in Europe-In England-Peace-In-

dustry-Commerce-Pasturage-Agriculture—

Growth of public wealth-Buildings and furni-

ture- The palace, meals and habits-Court

pageantries Celebrations under Elizabeth

Masques under James I.

Manners of the people-Pageants-Theatres-Vil-

lage feasts-Pagan development

IV. Models- The ancients- Translation and study of

classical authors-Sympathy for the manners and

mythology of the ancients-The moderns-Taste

for Italian writings and ideas- Poetry and

painting in Italy were pagan-The ideal is the

strong and happy man, limited by the present

The English Renaissance is the Renaissance of the

П

The forerunners-The Earl of Surrey-His feudal
and chivalrous life- His English individual

character-His serious and melancholy poems-
His conception of inward love.

His style-His masters, Petrarch and Virgil- His

progress, power, precocious perfection--Birth of

art-Weaknesses, imitation, research-Art in-

Growth and completion of art-Euphues and fashion

-Style and spirit of the Renaissance-Copious-

ness and irregularity-How manners, style, and

spirit correspond-Sir Philip Sydney-His edu-

cation, life, character His learning, gravity,

generosity, forcible expression-The Arcadia-

Exaggeration and mannerism of sentiments and

style-Defence of Poesie-Eloquence and energy-

His sonnets-Wherein the body and the passions

of the Renaissance differ from those of the

moderns Sensual love-Mystical love

Pastoral poetry-The great number of poets-Spirit

and force of the poetry-State of mind which

produces it-Love of the country-Reappearance

of the ancient gods-Enthusiasm for beauty----

Picture of ingenuous and happy love-Shaks-

peare, Jonson, Fletcher, Drayton, Marlowe,

Warner, Breton, Lodge, Greene-How the trans-

formation of the people transforms art

VI. Ideal poetry-Spenser-His life-His character-

His platonism-His Hymns of love and beauty-

Copiousness of his imagination-How far it was

suited for the epic-Wherein it was allied to the

"fuërie "His tentatives-Shepherd's Calendar—

His short poems-His masterpiece-The Faërie

Queene-His epic is allegorical and yet life-like—

It embraces Christian chivalry and the Pagan

Olympus-How it combines these .

PAGE

250

VII. The Faerie Queene-Impossible events-How they

appear natural-Belphobe and Chrysogone--Fairy

and gigantic pictures and landscapes--Why they

must be so-The cave of Mammon, and the

gardens of Acrasia-How Spenser composes

Wherein the art of the Renaissance is complete

Limit of the poetry-Changes in society and manners

-How the return to nature becomes an appeal

to the senses-Corresponding changes in poetry—

How agreeableness replaces energy-How pretti-

ness replaces the beautiful - Refinements

Carew, Suckling, Herrick-Affectation-Quarles,

Herbert, Babington, Donne, Cowley--Beginning

of the classic style, and drawing-room life

How poetry passed into prose-Connection of science

and art-In Italy In England How the

triumph of nature develops the exercise of the

natural reason Scholars, historians, speakers,

compilers, politicians, antiquaries, philosophers,

theologians The abundance of talent, and the

rarity of fine works--Superfluousness, punctili-

ousness, and pedantry of the style-Originality.

precision, energy, and richness of the style-

How, unlike the classical writers, they represent

the individual, not the idea

Robert Burton-His life and character-Vastness

and confusion of his acquirements-His subject,

the Anatomy of Melancholy-Scholastic divisions

-Medley of moral and medical science

IV. Sir Thomas Browne-His talent-His imagination
is that of a North-man---Hydriotaphia, Religio

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