ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -London, published in 1738, represents Johnson’s attempt to satirize the grubby world of London and also to rise above it. The poem is an “imitation” of the third Satire of the Roman poet Juvenal, which probably dates to the first century.

Detailed explanation-2: -Written in 1738, Samuel Johnson’s major published work, the poem London is a piece of literature that is satirical and inserts ironic commentary on the corruption-stricken London and the degradation of its society. The 263-lined poem is an imitation of the Third Satire of Juvenal.

Detailed explanation-3: -London is part of the eighteenth-century genre of imitation, or Neoclassicism. The work was based on Juvenal’s Third Satire which describes Umbricius leaving Rome to live in Cumae in order to escape from the vices and dangers of the capital city.

Detailed explanation-4: -Johnson’s poem taps on the themes of corruption, hypocrisy, and rustic life. According to Thales, there is a lot of corruption in London. The ruffians are roaming on the streets and can rob anyone at any time.

Detailed explanation-5: -This poem is taken from “songs of experience”. It reveals the poet’s feelings towards the society in which he lived. England in the 1800s became very oppressive, influenced by fears over the French Revolution. Laws began to be imposed which restricted the freedom of individuals.