The Puritan Age and the Restoration Age: A Literary Contrast
I’m khushi parmar, a postgraduate student at the department of English mkbu.this blog is learning activity by Professor Dilip barad sir.
Introduction
The seventeenth century in England was a period of great upheaval, reflected vividly in its literature. Two contrasting phases dominated this era: the Puritan Age (1620–1660) and the Restoration Age (1660–1700). The Puritan Age, shaped by stern religious discipline, moral earnestness, and political conflict, produced literature that emphasized spiritual introspection, moral reform, and the struggle between divine will and human frailty. In stark contrast, the Restoration Age followed the return of monarchy under Charles II, bringing with it a spirit of worldliness, wit, and artistic freedom. Literature in this period celebrated social sophistication, satire, and realism, moving away from the religious austerity of the Puritans. Together, these two ages represent one of the sharpest contrasts in English literary history, highlighting the deep interplay between politics, religion, and artistic expression.
The Puritan Age (1620–1660)
This era coincided with the English Civil War, the fall of the monarchy, and the rise of Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan Commonwealth. Literature was infused with moral purpose and deep spirituality. Religious prose thrived, with works like John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress using allegory to guide readers toward salvation. Metaphysical poetry, championed by John Donne and George Herbert, blended intellectual reasoning with intense devotional passion. Drama declined sharply, as theatres were closed for being morally corrupt.
The Restoration Age (1660–1700)
With Charles II’s return, England embraced a more cosmopolitan and indulgent culture. Theatres reopened, and Restoration drama, especially the Comedy of Manners by William Congreve and George Etherege, satirized high-society flirtations and hypocrisy. Satire and heroic poetry, perfected by John Dryden, became prominent, blending political commentary with polished wit. Literature reflected the age’s spirit of skepticism, sophistication, and social sparkle.
Conclusion
The transition from the Puritan Age (circa 1620–1660) to the Restoration Age (beginning with 1660) reflects one of the most striking shifts in the history of English literature. Under the Puritan regime—embodied in the turmoil of civil war, Commonwealth, and Cromwell’s protectorate—literature was shaped by introspection, moral rigor, and religious fervor. It favored prose and allegory, and its most celebrated works, such as John Milton’s Paradise Lost and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, probe existential questions of sin, redemption, faith, and conscience .
From Purity to Pleasure: The English Muse in Transformation
By An Observer of Letters, 1700
In the span of but four decades, the English Muse hath undergone a change so striking that the student of letters must marvel at her altered visage. In the days of the Puritan Commonwealth, our poetry and prose were steeped in grave devotion and moral purpose. The sacred fire burned in the hearts of Bunyan and Milton, whose pens, though diverse in style, aimed ever toward the exaltation of God and the edification of man. The theatre lay silent, its doors barred as if by the hand of Heaven itself, lest it tempt the soul to vanity. Even our verse, in the metaphysical strain of Donne or Herbert, was an intricate ladder to the divine, each conceit a rung toward eternity.
But lo! With the happy Restoration of His Majesty Charles II, the Muse hath cast off her somber weeds and arrayed herself in silks and powder. The playhouses flourish anew, their boards echoing with the repartee of Congreve and the sly intrigues of Etherege. Wit hath become the idol before which our fashionable world bows, and satire the keen blade that shapes our opinions. Where once we meditated upon sin and salvation, we now discourse upon gallantry, pleasure, and the humours of the town.
Such a shift could not but divide our audiences. The austere souls, bred under Cromwell’s stern governance, lament this descent from piety to profaneness, fearing that our letters have bartered virtue for vanity. Yet the younger generation, knowing naught of the Commonwealth but in history, revels in the freedom of wit and the sparkle of the stage. They greet with applause that which their fathers might have met with prayers for repentance.
Thus, in the year of our Lord 1700, we find English letters poised betwixt two worlds—still capable of the moral sublimity of Milton, yet enamoured of the worldly grace of Dryden. Whether the Muse shall return to purity or persist in pleasure, only time’s pen will write.
When Milton Met Dryden: An Imagined Exchange in 1670
In 1670, England stood between two worlds — the lingering shadow of Puritan moral rigor and the glittering vibrancy of the Restoration court. John Milton, the austere poet of Paradise Lost, championed literature as a vessel for divine truth. John Dryden, the Restoration’s poetic laureate, valued wit, elegance, and the theatre’s power to reflect and reform society. Here is an imagined conversation between them.
Dialogue
Milton: Master Dryden, the poet’s charge is sacred. His verse must exalt the Almighty, awaken the conscience, and prepare the soul for eternity.
Dryden: A lofty charge indeed, sir. Yet the poet must also move men’s passions. A drama or satire, well-wrought, may reform manners where sermons fail.
Milton: But will a stage filled with licentious jest and idle intrigue reform? I fear it corrupts more than it teaches.
Dryden: True, some abuse the art. Yet wit, like the sword, is not evil in itself—it is the wielder’s intent that matters. A play that mirrors vice may shame it, as a glass shows a man his blemishes.
Milton: Then let that mirror reflect virtue more than vice, lest the audience admire what it ought to despise.
Dryden: Agreed, though virtue oft persuades better when she smiles than when she scolds.
This imagined exchange captures not only two opposing literary philosophies but also the cultural shift from the moral solemnity of the Commonwealth to the polished worldliness of the Restoration. Milton’s vision of literature as divine service and Dryden’s belief in the art of charm reflect two enduring po
les in English letters — moral edification and pleasurable persuasion.
References:
https://www.allassignmenthelp.com/blog/restoration-period/
https://academic.oup.com/book/9825/chapter/157067945
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