Writers through the centuries - 17th Century authors

episode 4

"For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and e"

John Milton

"It is easier to reason with love than to conquer it."

Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve

"A dream is a wish your heart makes."

Charles Perrault

"When a great genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign; that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Jonathan Swift

"I hear much of people’s calling out to punish the guilty, but very few are concerned to clear the innocent."

Daniel Defoe

John Milton (1608-1674)

John Milton was born in London in 1608 with an artistic gene from his father: John Milton who was a composer, poet and writer, he was also a scrivener (administrative writing skills for the court), and mainly his work was with a religious theme. This enabled Milton to have the financial means to benefit from a private tutor, which meant he could also study: Greek and Latin.

After that, he attended between 1625-1629 Christ’s college at Cambridge, and in 1632 obtained a degree: Masters of Arts. At Cambridge, he also mastered the Hebrew and Dutch languages. But his erudite skills started to self-isolate him into spending a more contemplative time. During this time, he wrote the poems: L’Allegro and Il Penseroso, which will be published later in 1645.

From 1635 he took an extra depth into his culture desire and spent six years of self-study. It is at this time that he added Spanish, French and Italian as studied languages. Also, he expressed interest in: history, philosophy, theology, politics and literature. A complete artist.

In 1638 he started an European trip to Livorno, Pisa and reached Florence in July 1638, where he met astronomer Galileo. From there, he continued onward towards Rome. He attended musical events, even the newly founded opera, and enjoyed the Italian intellectual world’s elite as a day-to-day company. He then went to Naples. Then to Calais, Paris, Nice, and Genoa and returned to England in 1639 enriched by the academic circles, sites seen, an introduction to the French and Italian views on literature and arts in general. In Italy, he attended the carnival, the festive season introduced by the Catholic Church as a period of cultural festivities between the Christmas and Easter lent.

For an erudite or a person of nobility, it was usual that before marriage, for young men to attend a continental European trip to enrich their horizon, to add extra layers to their culture waving thirst.

In 1644 he wrote the education reform program: “Of Education”, in which he wanted to introduce a reform in the national universities. It was the time when intellectuality needed a further boost from persons with a strong academic background of themselves.

In personal life, June 1642 brought some changes. Upon visiting Oxford-shire, he got married to the 16-year-old (at the time) Mary Powell. But because of Milton’s strictness and rigid way of life, she returned to her family after just one month but returned to live with Milton in 1645.

Taking parts along the victorious side to the parliamentary in the civil war, he got appointed: Secretary for Foreign tongues in March of 1649.

In 1652 he published his Latin defence of the English people: “Defensio pro-Populo Anglicano” (First defence) that quickly gave him a renowned European name upon his skills and intellectual capabilities. The second defence, published in 1654, mainly responded to a series of attacks that Milton and the English governance were getting against killing the king. In this second defence, he expressed admiration towards the Lord protector Oliver Cromwell. And Milton continued to hold office as the Secretary for Foreign tongues till 1660, although from 1652, his health deteriorated rapidly, and he became blind.

In 1659 he expressed in his works the view against the state dominating over the church. An idea that was against an increasing wave of thought of current time England.

In 1660 the monarchy was restored, and Milton had to go into hiding for the rest of his life while his writing was burned down. From 1663 he mainly lived in London, and during the Great Plague of London (1665-1666), he retreated to Buckingham-shire.

Between 1658 to 1664, he created his masterpiece: “Paradise lost”, published as the first edition in 1667 and the revised second edition in 1674.

He sold the rights to publication in 1667 for a price equivalent in today’s money to 800 £ with the possibility for an extra 5£ (800 £ current value) if the book sold out of the first print. The book was a success and ran out in just a year and a half (an extraordinary achievement for the time). In 1674 he died of Kidney failure.

His work, “Paradise lost”, will spread its influence over the authors of the following two centuries and was rapidly recognized as a masterpiece. It comes to recognition short after publication, in 1677 and opera by John Dryden under the name: “The state of innocence and the fall of man” came to show that the poem came into rapid recognition. William Blake, Alexander Pope, and many other elite English poets praised the genius John Milton expressed. His legacy expanded throughout the time that even in the 19th century Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) said that Milton’s Paradise Lost greatly influenced him.

Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (1685-1755)

She was born in a rich and powerful family, belonging to some of the highest French nobility. Her family originated from the city in the Bay of Biscay: La Rochelle, although she was born in Paris.

She married Jean-Baptiste Gaalon de Villeneuve in 1706, which was also a member of the French nobility. But because he spent a massive part of their fortune, she requested a marriage separation to be issued, just six months after they got married.

In 1711 she became a widow and started to spend most of her remaining wealth, but eventually, she had to look for employment to sustain herself financially. She reached Paris and met a famous playwright of the time, Jolyot de Crebillon, and she settled with him until she passed away in 1755.

Between 1734 and 1755, she published multiple fairy tales and novels, but her famous work: “Beauty and the beast” was published in 1740 (“La Belle et la Bete”), which was re-written and re-published in 1756 by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, version which is more famous today. Her work was greatly influenced by Charles Perrault work.

Along with Charles, she was one of the fairy tale genre co-founders, giving us another lesson in stories with a background story. A tale of inner beauty is more important than the exterior. A story that would promote a need for seeing inside a person’s soul, intellect as more critical skills than the exterior appearance.

Charles Perrault (1628-1703)

The 17th century brought a new genre of literature, through its authors, the fairy tales. Among these authors of a new genre, Charles Perrault would influence with his work (“Histoires ou contes du temps passe” – published in 1697) other writers of the next century like the Brothers Grimm. In his work, we can find some of the very popular (for today’s reader) literary titles like: “Cinderella”, “Little red riding hood”, “Puss in boots”, “Sleeping beauty”. It is after Charles Perrault that we can speak of this new genre: the fairy tale.

Charles was born in a wealthy and cultured family (a bourgeois) in Paris in 1628.

He studied law, a prevalent profession for the higher elite, after which he pursued a career in the government service, the same as his father.

He was involved in continuous cultural development. The creation of the academy of sciences (1666), the restoration of the Academy of painting (founded originally in 1648 as the Academy of painting and sculpture) are just some examples of this tremendous support in culture Charles got involved in. In 1663 when the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-letters got formed, Perrault became its first secretary. And in 1671, he was elected to the French Academy.

His influence over Louis XIV, as a cultural advisory was quite impressive. In 1669, he influenced the king to include some unique thirty-nine fountains in Versailles' gardens, each of them presenting as one of Aesop’s fables.

Opera was increasing in importance, and in 1674 the play Alceste created a massive debate between the conservatories that opinionated that opera is a deviation from the classical theatre, and started the “Quarrel of the Ancients and moderns” a considerable discussion between the literature in Antiquity (rediscovered by renaissance) against the moderns, which meant the contemporary literature. Perrault promoted the modernist ideas and wrote: “The century of Louis the Great” in 1687. He supported the idea that because they live in the age of enlightened King Louis XIV (Age of enlightenment started to emerge), this would be superior to the antiquity age revived during the previous period of the renaissance.

Things turned for the worse when Jean-Baptiste Colbert, First minister of state (prime minister) forced Perrault to retire in 1682. In the subsequent years, he started to enter into a period of shadow, his pension as a writer stopped, and he became the subject of mockery.

Because of his declined status, he decided to concentrate his attention towards writing stories for children (fairy tales), and published in 1697: “Tales and stories of the past with morals” that made him universally popular, and it is regarded as the founder of the new literary genre: The fairy tale. The fairy tales would have morals behind them, like the story of “Little red riding hood” is actually an advisory warning against walking alone by a young woman as they could fall victims to men preying on them.

Perrault died in Paris in 1703.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

He was born in 1667, Dublin, the only son of Jonathan Swift (his father was born in Herefordshire, England) but died a couple of months after his son’s birth.

From 1 to 3, Jonathan Swift learned how to read the bible while based with his wet nurse in Cumberland, England.

He went to Kilkenny College until the age of 14/15 and then continued at Trinity College, Dublin, from 1682.

After which, he worked for Sir William Temple, a diplomat that entrusted Swift with matters of great importance.

He moved then to Moor Park, where he met Esther Johnson in 1689 (then eight years old). In 1692 he obtained his master degree from Oxford. After which, he was later sent to County Antrim in 1694 to be ordained as a priest. After Sir William Temple died in 1699, he stayed for a bit longer to complete Temple’s memoirs, which eventually created some enemies among Temple’s family and moved back to Ireland, where he took residence in County Meath. 1700 turn of the century finds him in Meath county at Trim.

In 1702 he received the academic title of Doctor of Divinity (from Trinity College, Dublin). Swift took one more trip to England. Upon return, he came accompanied by Esther Johnson, now 20 years of age.

From 1704 he started to gain his reputation as a writer by publishing his initial satire works: “A tale of a tub”, “The battle of the books”. In 1710 he became an editor in the newspaper: “The Examiner”.

Swift invented the name Vanessa in his poem: “Cadenus and Vanessa”, a nickname used for Esther Vanhomrigh, one of his acquaintance.

Because of a change in London’s political climate, he had to move once more from London to Ireland and became more precise about his support for the Irish cause.

Due to this current change of events, his creativity got a boost, and he wrote some of his most outstanding work: “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in four parts, by Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships”. Published as “Gulliver’s travels” in 1726.

In 1745 he died after suffering multiple bodily excruciating torments of health. He left behind a colossal fortune of 12,000 (today’s equivalent of over 2 million pounds) to fund a mentally ill hospital: “St Patrick’s hospital for Imbeciles” that still exists today as a psychiatric hospital.

Interesting facts:

"Gulliver’s travels” was initially named: “Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in four parts, by Lemuel Gulliver, first a surgeon, and then a captain of several ships".

A hospital founded in 1745 by Swift’s will: “St. Patrick’s University Hospital” as a psychiatric hospital, exists till this day.

Daniel Defoe (1660 - 1731)

Born in 1660 in London, Daniel Foe added much later into his life the prefix of De to assume a more aristocratic descendant. The birth dates are subject to debate, and they are between 1659 to 1662.

In his childhood he experienced some of the most tragic events. At the age of 5, he saw the effects of the Great Plague of London (1665-1666). A ravaging plague that killed almost 100,000 of London’s population (at the time, London had an estimated population of 460,000). In 1666 he witnessed the Great Fire of London, and luck was once again showing its glare to Daniel, as in his neighbourhood, only two houses remained standing (one of which was his).

He was educated at the boarding school in Pixham. His parents were Presbyterian dissenters, and at the time, this type of decision had a severe weight of consequence to it. By moving to the presbyterian religion, away from the Church of England, such people would be bound to get persecuted.

Defoe became a merchant in the business of general woollen goods and wine. In 1684, he increased his wealth by marrying Mary Tuffley and received a dowry that allowed him to buy a ship and a country house.

After taking part in the Manmouth rebellion on the losing side, he finally chose a successful ally in William III’s person (crowned in 1689). He became a secret agent into Williams service.

He was arrested for debts but released later on, and he travelled to Scotland, Porto and Lisbon (where he expanded his wine trade routes).

In 1695 upon returning into England, he was in charge of collecting the taxes on bottles and next year, Defoe economic ventures expanded, running a brick factory in Essex.

In 1697 he wrote: “An essay upon projects”, which were a series of proposals for social and economic improvements. “The true-born Englishman” appeared in 1701, a poem in which Defoe was defending the king’s image against some of the nobility of England that was a bit xenophobic towards King William III.

After King William III death, Queen Anne came to power in 1702. She began the protestants’ oppression. As such, Defoe was arrested in 1703 and placed in a pillory for three days, accusations based on the 1702’s pamphlet: “Proposals for the establishment of the church.” In which he criticized a lot of the members of the nobility.

Robert Harley took Defoe out of prison; he employed his spy skills and paid off some of his debts. After release from prison, he saw the “Great storm of 1703”, the terrible storm that devastated London and Bristol, which had inspired his writing of “The Storm” (1704).

From this year onward, he set up his periodical: “A review of France's affairs” that gave information regarding the Spanish succession War. The publication ran three times per week until 1713. In his periodical, he often showed pamphlets, a way to describe the pro and cons views on both political factions: The Tory and the Whigs.

In 1709 he wrote: “The history of the union of Great Britain” that explained the Act of Union 1707, an exciting piece of history and political explanations of the current events.

The publication of his masterpiece: “Robinson Crusoe”, the book that made him famous, was released to the readers between 1719 – 1724.

In the final decade of his life, he wrote some manuals of conduct to improve the general society stance: Religious courtship (1722), the complete English tradesman (1726) and the new family instructor (1727).

The complete English Tradesman was published in 1726 as a political work. In this manuscript, he refers to the importance of trade and tradesman in the British economy, almost implying the need for rising the tradesman in rank to a degree of nobility (a gentleman).

After Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719, Defoe published his next novel in 1720: Captain Singleton, which also includes piracy elements into the plot. In the same year, another book sees the light of day: “Memoirs of a Cavalier”.

In 1722 a borderline between fiction and non-fiction: “A Journal of the plague year” would provide the “Great Plague of London” details. In the same year: “Colonel Jack” and “Moll Flanders” were published.

The final novel: “Roxana: The fortunate mistress”, got published in 1724.

In 1731 Daniel Defoe died, probably as an effect of a stroke.

Daniel Defoe wrote two sequels to Robinson Crusoe: “The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” and “Serious Reflections during the Life & Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe: With His Vision of the Angelic World. Robinson Crusoe”.

Nihil sine Deo