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After a dramatic revolutionary period which saw the beheading of the king, the monarchy was re-established with the return of Charles II from exile in 1660. This new beginning was in itself a kind of cultural revolution. Gone were the days of a Puritan government that had enforced a strict morality. King Charles II’s mistresses became famous, the Earl of Rochester wrote incredibly bawdy poetry, and Samuel Pepys recorded his experiences and escapades in his famous diary. Fashions became more and more exuberant and colourful. The theatres, which had been closed during the revolutionary period, reopened, and for the first time there were actresses on stage. The period known as the Restoration was full of excitement – including the sort of excitement one would rather do without. Life in London was disrupted by two major disasters, the Great Plague of 1664, which killed of a large part of London’s population, and the Great Fire of 1666 which destroyed most of the City of London.
In this seminar, we shall discuss key aspects of the literature, culture (including architecture, art and music) and everyday life of the Restoration. A reader will be made available well in advance of the semester (available from the usual place in Reckhammerweg).
Requirements: regular attendance, reading the assigned texts, active participation, and written work according to your particular Studienordnung. As always: read, think, enjoy (!!), annotate (!) and look things up if necessary. |
