English Literary Criticism – 16th- 19th Century

What is Sidney's response to Plato's charge against poetry in Defence of Poesy?

• Poetry promotes vice and falsehood

• Poetry is inferior to history and philosophy

• Poetry teaches virtue more effectively than history or philosophy

• Poetry must be censored in a just state

How does Wordsworth redefine the language of poetry in his Preface to Lyrical Ballads?

• He advocates for highly ornate and classical language

• He insists on using abstract philosophical terms

• He supports the use of common language spoken by ordinary people

• He recommends imitating Shakespearean diction

According to Dryden, what is the difference between wit and judgment in poetry?

• Wit involves understanding meter; judgment involves rhyme

• Wit is natural talent; judgment involves acquired taste

• Wit is the invention of ideas; judgment is their proper placement

• Wit is common in women; judgment in men

How does Shelley view the moral role of the poet in A Defence of Poetry?

• As a detached observer of society

• As a mere entertainer of the masses

• As a moral guide and reformer of society

• As a critic of classical traditions

What is Coleridge's concept of the 'secondary imagination'?

• The imagination used in logical reasoning

• The imagination used in dreams and fantasy

• A creative faculty that unites opposites and reshapes reality

• A lower faculty of mind inferior to perception

How does Johnson evaluate Shakespeare's strengths and weaknesses as a dramatist?

• Strong plots but poor character development

• Great in style but weak in moral instruction

• Rich in characterization but sometimes lacking decorum and unity

• Excellent in tragedy but weak in comedy

How does Dryden classify different types of satire in his Essay on Satire?

• Comic, tragic, and romantic

• Formal, informal, and dramatic

• Horatian, Juvenalian, and Menippean

• Direct, indirect, and allegorical

How does Sidney compare poetry with history and philosophy?

• Poetry is inferior because it deals with fiction

• Philosophy gives universal truths, history gives particular facts, but poetry combines both

• History is more ethical than poetry

• Philosophy is easier to understand than poetry

Why does Wordsworth emphasize 'emotion recollected in tranquility'?

• It helps create dramatic tension

• It allows for reflective and sincere expression in poetry

• It produces spontaneous joy in readers

• It ensures accurate historical representation

What is the role of fancy versus imagination in Coleridge’s theory of poetry?

• Fancy is creative and unifying; imagination is mechanical

• Imagination rearranges data; fancy is transformative

• Fancy is passive and decorative; imagination is active and organic

• Both are synonymous and interchangeable