AUGUSTAN POETRY
By: Keiana Castro, Jasmine Kegler, Azalei Echano, Dominic Francia
AP LITERATURE PERIOD 1
AUGUSTAN POETRY
 Augustan derives from Augustus Caesar
 Known for its rhymed heroic-couplet satire
 These are often in iambic pentameter
 Translated Greek and Roman epics into English to be made in their own
 Derives from metaphysical poetry
P O E T I C T E C H N I QU E S / T H E M E S
 With Augustan poetry, you can find wit
 Irony
 Paradox similar to metaphysical poetry
 Example : True wit is nature to advantage dress’d / what oft was thought,
but ne’er so well express’d
• By Alexander Pope
JOHN DRYDEN
 Born August 9, 1631
 Northampton, England
 Attended Westminster School of London
• trained in the art of rhetorical argument.
 -credited w/ standardizing the heroic couplet (A pair of rhyming iambic pentameters)
 -includes; satires, religious pieces, fables, epigrams, prologues, and plays.
 died on May 1, 1700
 Other notable works: Lives of the poets (1779) To His Sacred Majesty (1662) Mac Flecknow
(1681)
Characteristics of John.
• Rhythmical
• Satirical
• Oxymoronic
• Ironic
• Uses of Symbolism
ALEXANDER POPE
 May 21, 1688 – May 30, 1744
 Known for his satirical verse & his translation of Homer.
 Famous for his use of the heroic couplet
 Early life: Pope's education was affected by Test Acts
• (banned Catholics from teaching, attending a university, voting, or holding public office)
 Notable works: Essay on Man (1733-1734), Translation of the Odyssey (1725-1726)
Windsor Forest (1713)
JONATHAN SWIFT
 Born in Dublin, Ireland.
 Diagnosed with Meniere’s disease which affected his inner ear that caused
hearing loss and nausea.
 Grew up in poverty when his father died, leaving his family without an income.
 Jonathan then had to travel with his nurse to find a new home since his mother
could not provide for him.
 Jonathan was an Irish clerk, pamphleteer, satirist, and author who was known for
Gulliver’s Travels.
 It was his labeled a masterpiece; it was collaborated with “the pettiness of politics,
people, and the games they play.”
J O H N G AY
 JOHN GAY (June 30 1685- December 4 1732)
 -Engligh poet and dramatist
 -member of Scriblerus Club *literary group aimed to ridicule pedantry
 - born/ raised in Barnstaple, England
 - became the first pastoral writer of the age and the True English Theocritus
 -poetry influenced by a close friend, Alexander Pope
 - best known for The Beggar’s Opera

*double allegory (represents abstract ideas/principles through characters)

*story of thieves and highwaymen

*reflect moral degradation of society and show corruption of governing class

-prime minister Sir Robert Walpole and his Whig administration

*longest opera up until their time (ran 62 performances)

*based on good humored satire and technical assurance
 -A Ballad by John Gay (Act 2 Scene 8 of The Beggar’s Opera)
• Augustus
Primaporta
• Satyr &
Maenad
(Terracot
ta)
Marriage a-la-mode
by William
Hogarth
Bust of
Augustus
(Marble)
PROMPT
 1976 Poem: “Poetry of Departures” (Philip Larkin) Prompt: Write an essay in which you discuss
how the poem's diction (choice of words) reveals his attitude toward the two ways of living mentioned
in the poem.
 1981 Poem: “Storm Warnings” (Adrienne Rich) Prompt: Write an essay in which you explain how
the organization of the poem and the use of concrete details reveal both its literal and its metaphorical
meanings. In your discussion, show how both of these meanings relate to the title.
 2011B Poem: “An Echo Sonnet” (Robert Pack) Prompt: Read carefully the following poem by
Robert Pack, paying close attention to the relationship between form and meaning. Then, in a wellwritten essay, analyze how the literary techniques used in this poem contribute to its meaning.
LINKS
 http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5645
 http://www.aurobindo.ru/workings/sa/37_01/0014_e.htm
 http://www.crossref-it.info/articles/398/An-introduction-toAugustan-literature
QUIZ
 Who influenced the Augustan period
A. Ceasar Augutus
B. Samuel Morse
C. Simon Augusus
D. George Washington
QUIZ
 Which of the following periods came prior to the Augustans?
A. Augustans
B. Metaphysical Poetry
C. The Symbolists
D. Modernism
QUIZ
 Which of the poets we’ve talked about more focused on
relaionships
A.
B.
C.
D.
John Gay
John Dryden
Alexander Pope
Jonathan Swift
QUIZ
 What epics did Augustan poets get their work from?
A. Catholics
B. Christians
C. Augustans
D. Romans and Greeks
QUIZ
QUIZ
 Which pentameter did Augustan Poets write in?
A. Dactylic
B. Iambic
C. Shakespearian
D. None of the above
QUIZ
 True wit is nature to advantage dress’d / what oft was thought, but ne’er so well
express’d
 Which poet?
A. Alexander Pope
B. John Dryden
C. John Gay
D. Jonathan swift
QUIZ
QUIZ
QUIZ