LITERATURE QUESTIONS
CULTURAL AND LITERARY (18TH 19TH) CENTURIES
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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its references to Shakespeare.
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its commitment to an elevated taste, its use of classical imagery, and its evocation of classic forms.
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its scientific ethos and setting in London.
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its refusal to mention Shadwell directly.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Dryden wrote this poem to ridicule Shadwell. In the poem, Flecknoe is passing on his talent of dullness and stupidity to Shadwell, his supposed son. Remember the Augustan age of Rome is very popular now.
Detailed explanation-2: -The full title of Mac Flecknoe is Mac Flecknoe or a satire upon the True-Blue Protestant Poet T.S.: ‘Mac’ is a Gaelic word meaning ‘son’: ‘Mac Flecknoe’ Page 3 170 JOHN DRYDEN : MAC FLECKNOE means ‘Son of Flecknoe’.
Detailed explanation-3: -Another figure of speech that Dryden uses is irony. The poem is utterly filled with irony; its tone and imagery are ironic. Firstly, it is ironic that the realm of Nonsense is compared to the great Roman empire. Secondly, it is ironic that Flecknoe is so proud of someone who is dull and has no sense.
Detailed explanation-4: -Thus, Dryden subverts the theme of the defining characteristic by giving Shadwell a negative characteristic as his only virtue. Dryden uses the mock-heroic through his use of the heightened language of the epic to treat the trivial subjects such as poorly written and largely dismissible poetry.