1. What is Modernism in English Literature and enumerate modernist techniques.

Variant 9
1.What do you know about Renaissance drama in English Literature?(200 -300 words)
During the Renaissance period (particularly 1485-1603) Middle English began to develop into Modern English. By the late 1500’s the English people were speaking and writing English in a form much like that used today. The Renaissance in England is usually studied by dividing it into three parts: the rise of the Renaissance under the early Tudor monarchs (1500-1558), the height of the Renaissance under Elizabeth I (1558-1603), and the decline of the Renaissance under the Stuart monarchs (1603-1649). The invention of printing press and improved methods of manufacturing paper made possible the rapid spread of knowledge. In 1476, during the Wars of the Roses, William Caxton set up the first printing press in London. Before that time, books and other literary works were slowly and laboriously copied by hand. Printing made it possible to produce far more books at lower costs. By 1640 Caxton’s and other presses had printed more than 216,000 different works and editions. It is estimated that by 1530 more than half the population of England was literate. Learning at that time flourished not only at Oxford and Cambridge, but at the lower educational levels too. At that period new types of literature were imported from the European continent. Chief among these were the sonnet, imported by Wyatt and Surrey from Italy, where it had been perfected by Francis Petrarch; and the essay, imported by Sir Francis Bacon from France. Other verse forms were also borrowed from the Italian and the French. The native drama continued to develop and gain popularity. Under the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603), order was restored, and England entered upon her most glorious age. Elizabeth was only twenty-five when she assumed the throne, never married, and ruled wisely and well for forty-five years. Sir Thomas More Sir Francis Bacon Edmund Spenser Sir Philip Sidney Christopher Marlowe Ben Jonson William Shakespeare 2. The problems are explained in “The tragedy of Doctor Faustus” by Ch. Marlowe.(200 words)
Christopher Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus” is possibly one of the prominent tragedies in the history of English literature. It certainly departs from the conventional Greek tragedy as Faustus is not a noble birth like an emperor and Prince etc. Furthermore the heroes in Greek tragedies no doubt endure but by the end of the play everything is put into restoration. But Marlowe’s “Doctor Faustus” exhibits some divergences. That is why we cannot call “Doctor Faustus” an out and out tragedy in the traditional sense of the term but it is an Elizabethan tragedy with ingredients of religious beliefs and Renaissance spirit.  Faustus symbolizes the Renaissance man who is torn between the christianity and the Renaissance tendency. Doctor Faustus, like the heroes of Greek tragedies, has one deadly flaw that brings about his downfall. One can say that his tragic flaw is not only his desire to obtain ‘infinite knowledge’ but also his excessive pride that is regarded as the most dangerous of all seven deadly sins. He is liable to be overly proud of his knowledge and accomplishments. Due to this tragic flaw, Faustus does commit a streak of more errors consecutively. Faustus later regrets his actions, but by then it is too late. Catharsis is a very important aspect in the Elizabethan tragedy and by Faustus’s tragic death he attains the audience’s sympathy and evokes catharsis. Marlowe’s play “Doctor Faustus” revolves around its protagonist and portrays the inner spiritual conflict that causes his downfall. Because Faustus was a renaissance hero, therefore, Faustus yearned for ‘knowledge infinite’. According to Faustus, logic, medicine, law, etc. can give knowledge but cannot give power. Faustus, thereby, switches to magic and is delighted by its promises of pleasure, esteem, gain, and power. In the end, we can say that Doctor Faustus is the tragedy of such an ambitious man who wanted to have infinite knowledge and power. But this desire of his causes his downfall because man, by his very nature, is limited. Marlowe conclusively conveys in “Doctor Faustus” the hopelessness of the pursuit for indefinite knowledge and the inescapable consequence of breaking up with moral integrity.