By: Lyndsey McElhannon

Are hippies the modern day symbolist poets? How can symbolist poets be related to hippies? What was their sole purpose in writing styles? I set out on a mission to answer these questions for my readers. I feel we all know what the definition of a symbol is, but just in case someone reading this blog does not, per dictionary.com a symbol is, “Something used for or regarded as representing something else.” Naturally, my first thought was surely classifying oneself as a symbolist poet means nothing more than using symbols in poetry. While that may be true, further researching symbolist poetry I was pleased to find a much deeper rooted meaning of what encompasses a symbolist poet.

Symbolists have an approach when writing poetry enabling them to relate symbols that invoke one’s emotions and imagination. I suppose they could be considered hippie-like being the fact they have chosen to write about things that make them feel instead of reality. They write what comes to their imagination, usually using some sort of symbolism, whether it be considered “normal” poetry or not. They believe that using one’s imagination while having the ability to relate to a specific subject will be not only easier but more understanding as well.  I know that when I read something that gets my imagination and emotions stirring, I am much more likely to finish and remember the material. Symbolist poets are known for being of French background. Charles Baudelaire is the most well-known symbolist. He is best known for Les fleurs du mal, translated in English, Flower of Evil.  This work has two publications containing roughly 100 poems. I have chosen to include one poem I found beautiful from this collection. The poem is entitled, “Le Soleil” or “The Sun.”

Le Soleil (original text)

Le long du vieux faubourg, où pendent aux masures
Les persiennes, abri des secrètes luxures,
Quand le soleil cruel frappe à traits redoublés
Sur la ville et les champs, sur les toits et les blés,
Je vais m’exercer seul à ma fantasque escrime,
Flairant dans tous les coins les hasards de la rime,
Trébuchant sur les mots comme sur les pavés
Heurtant parfois des vers depuis longtemps rêvés.

Ce père nourricier, ennemi des chloroses,
Eveille dans les champs les vers comme les roses;
II fait s’évaporer les soucis vers le ciel,
Et remplit les cerveaux et les ruches de miel.
C’est lui qui rajeunit les porteurs de béquilles
Et les rend gais et doux comme des jeunes filles,
Et commande aux moissons de croître et de mûrir
Dans le coeur immortel qui toujours veut fleurir!

Quand, ainsi qu’un poète, il descend dans les villes,
II ennoblit le sort des choses les plus viles,
Et s’introduit en roi, sans bruit et sans valets,
Dans tous les hôpitaux et dans tous les palais.

— Charles Baudelaire

The Sun (translated text)

Along the old street on whose cottages are hung
The slatted shutters which hide secret lecheries,
When the cruel sun strikes with increased blows
The city, the country, the roofs, and the wheat fields,
I go alone to try my fanciful fencing,
Scenting in every corner the chance of a rhyme,
Stumbling over words as over paving stones,
Colliding at times with lines dreamed of long ago.

This foster-father, enemy of chlorosis,
Makes verses bloom in the fields like roses;
He makes cares evaporate toward heaven,
And fills with honey hives and brains alike.
He rejuvenates those who go on crutches
And gives them the sweetness and gaiety of girls,
And commands crops to flourish and ripen
In those immortal hearts which ever wish to bloom!

When, like a poet, he goes down into cities,
He ennobles the fate of the lowliest things
And enters like a king, without servants or noise,
All the hospitals and all the castles.

— William Aggeler, The Flowers of Evil (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1954)

 

FLOWER POWER!!!

I have included a link if anyone is interested in reading up on Baudelaire and his life, https://www.poemhunter.com/charles-baudelaire/biography/ .

 

Symbolists are known for using ideas in their poetry that is anything but normal in ordinary poetry at the time. Baudelaire and the fellow symbolists were thought to be “less” than ordinary poets because of their eccentric writing styles.  They were looked down upon because they were not “conventional.” According to Arthur Rimbaud, poetry should be a, “Systematic derangement of the senses.” Symbolists wanted to steer their poetry away from the norm, being realism and naturalism. I envision Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and the other symbolist poets sitting in a large field surrounded by beautiful flowers, smoking a joint, discussing the undeniable beauty surrounding them. For example, the Sun like in the poem above. Now please do not think that I am degrading them or their work in any way by me referring to them smoking pot. I just feel that they did not give a shit what people thought of them; they did whatever they wanted, and wrote however they wanted. I personally look up to them; the fact that they had the guts to step off the course of writing “conventional” poetry pretty much makes them badass. Of course, as I previously stated, other poets did not like the idea of writing about things not involving nature and realism. Symbolists were looked down upon for their new approach to writing poetry. Hey, I am all about being different! I say more power to them! Sometimes it’s nice to read about things that aren’t focused on reality; everyone needs an escape. I do compare them to hippies for the cheer fact of their determination to do as they pleased with or without approval from others. Poetry has evolved a lot throughout the years; I credit Baudelaire and the other symbolist poets for this. They introduced a different writing style with their eccentric approach to life like hippies introduced the idea of peace and love to the world.

Sources:

Charles Baudelaire – Charles Baudelaire Biography – Poem Hunter. “Charles Baudelaire – Charles Baudelaire Biography – Poem Hunter.” PoemHunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

“Lechery.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

“Poetic Modes: Symbolism, Imagism, Modernism.” Poetic Modes: Symbolism, Imagism, Modernism. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Supervert. “Le Soleil (The Sun) by Charles Baudelaire.” Le Soleil (The Sun) by Charles Baudelaire. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

“Symbol.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

“Symbolist Movement | Glossary Terms | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Back in the 1950’s a group of like-minded conservative poets came together and decided that poetry should have rules. When I think of poetry the poets that stand out are the ones that make you think on another level and transport the reader into deeper thinking through imagery and symbolic meaning. The movement was against these prevalent ideas of romanticism of the time and wanted poetry to be structured and formal. To these modest fellas poetry should be based upon traditional devices in literature and included simple, sensuous content, and traditional form.

Thomas Hardy was the poetic model for The Movement because he was considered a realist.

How great my grief, my joys how few,

Since first it was my fate to know thee!

 Have the slow years not brought to view

How great my grief, my joys how few,

Nor memory shaped old times anew,

Nor loving-kindness helped to show thee

How great my grief, my joys how few,

Since first it was my fate to know thee?

In this poem Thomas Hardy uses the triolet form: The triolet is a short poem of eight lines with only two rhymes used throughout. Thomas Hardy used this poem to appeal to emotions of seriousness and grief. Thomas Hardy was the go to man for their views because of his ability to write poetry in a structured and traditional way.

Out with the old in with The British Revival

Obviously this idea of playing it safe in poetry was just not cutting it anymore especially for the new and upcoming poets of the new decade. The British Revival was a movement that lasted from 1960’s-1970’s and their main goal was to bring back poetry that was based on progressive ideas and romanticism. The British Poetry Revival understood that poetry does not have a Judicial system and, there are no rules. So who is to say that the old way is the right way? This progressive movement focused more on poetry about imperfection and visual poetry that moved away from themes of structured and realist poetry.

Role Models of the British Revival

The British Revival looked to American poets like……….

    Ezra Pound                                       William Carlos Williams

And British poets….

Hugh McDiarmid

                                                   

          Basil Bunting                                                                                                             David Jones

 

              Leading Poets of the British Revival period

The leading poets during this period were J. H. Prynne, Eric Mottram, Tom Raworth, Denise Riley and Lee Harwood. The features of their poems included:

1) Focus on the process of perception, consciousness, and putting into language in a poem rather than what is perceived or experienced.

2) Various forms of the estrangement effect, a device that prevents the audience from losing themselves completely into the character that is created by the actor, are added to enable focus on the language and process of the poem itself.

3) A sense of self-voice.

4) Improvisation or experimentation instead of a traditional form or pattern.

5) There may be aspects of performance in both the writing and the delivery of the text.

 

A sample of a leading poet’s poem: Errory by Tom Raworth

joined harmonising the best

so it needn’t wait

phrase: the question are you sure?

hanging three feet off the ground

silent, absolutely quiet

headquarters – we travelled north

clawing back small shelter

hung with screaming

on the same rig

blended in enthusiasm

as the race approached

through cracks in snow

free-falling into mind

alive with brightness shivering

Tom Haworth:

One of the leading men of the British Revival Movement and one of the first poets to say making errors is okay. This different technique was very unique and modern to the old school poetry that previously was expressed. He was influenced by the Black Mountain poets, sometimes called projectivist poets, were a group of mid 20th century American avant-garde or post modern poets centered on Black Mountain college in North Carolina.

re·viv·al

rəˈvīvəl/

noun

noun: revival; plural noun: revivals

an improvement in the condition or strength of something.

By going against tradition and ideas of past poets it is safe to say that the British Poetry Revival accomplished exactly what they set out to do by making poetry purposefully flawed and unique. The poets of this time brought back to life the creativity in the art of poetry. By saying screw the rules they opened the door to various new styles of poetry and impacted poetry for generations to come.

 

British Poetry Revival Resources

“British Poetry Revival.” British Poetry Revival. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

 

“British Poetry Revival.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

 

Finch, Peter. “Poetry Since 1945.” Continuum Encyclopedia Of British Literature (2003): 767-770. Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Feb. 2017.

 

Hunter, Thomas Hardy – Poem. “”How Great My Grief” (Triolet) Poem.” PoemHunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2017.

 

“Thomas Hardy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

 

SHEPPARD, ROBERT. “Chapter 2: The British Poetry Revival 1960-1978.” Poetry of Saying: British Poetry & Its Discontents, 1950-2000. 35-76. n.p.: Liverpool University Press 2004 Limited, 2005. Humanities International Complete. Web. 7 Feb. 2017.

“Triolet: Poetic Form.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 29 Sept. 2004. Web. 04 Feb. 2017.

-founded in Boston in 1988 by a group of African American poets led by Thomas Sayers Ellis and Sharan Strange. According to the New York Times article ‘Where Black Poetry Took Wing’, in 1987 the two young poets attended the funeral of James Baldwin. They were deeply moved by the funeral ceremony, but also distressed that they had never met an African-American literary lion like Mr. Baldwin. Ellis and Strange then came up with the plan to bring young black writers and artists together to read their work aloud, bond with mentors and to foster the sort of relationships that had nurtured many a cultural movement.
-the mission of the Collective was to form a community of established and emerging African American writers
-Strange and Ellis began the Dark Room Collective at their house at 31 Inman Street in Cambridge, where they hosted the reading series on Sunday afternoons. A crowd showed up, some furniture got moved, some chairs unfolded and their living room turned into a salon.
-it soon expanded to include musical performances, art shows, and workshops and became known as a much needed home for writers of color in the mostly white-dominated literary community

-people of varying ethnicities, ages, classes, and communities attended the series, which later relocated to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston when it outgrew the living room in Cambridge

-scholars say the Dark Room Collective is less about strife or racial identity but it’s more about the imagination taking over and leading the poets to borrow from, and burrow into, history, pop culture, even quantum physics in new and surprising ways although some do use their work to to fight against various forms of oppression

-the Dark Room Collective stopped after a decade or so, however, some of its members now in their 40s, have gone on to become famous literary figures, winning major prizes. One example is Natasha Trethewey, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her book in 2006, “Native Guard,” and is the nation’s poet laureate

-other famous poets from dark room collective:  Tracy K. Smith won the Pulitzer for “Life on Mars” in 2012, writers Kevin Young, Carl Phillips and Major Jackson have all been recognized as prolific and influential voices in American poetry.

-in the New York Times article by Jeff Gordinier he has a quote by Mr. Adrian Matejka, who is a part of a poetic organization that has come out of the Dark Room Collective. He described Dark Room Collective as a “shift out of the ‘I’m a black man in America and it’s hard’ mode” into “the idea of ‘you are who you are, so that’s always going to be part of the poem,’ ” with “a lot more room for the sublime experience of language.”

Poems by Tracy K. Smith: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/55520

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/56376

Poems by Kevin Young: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/58069

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/49763
“A Brief Guide to the Dark Room Collective.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 9 May 2004, www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-dark-room-collective.

Gordinier, Jeff. “The Dark Room Collective: Where Black Poetry Took Wing.” New York Times, 27 May 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/arts/the-dark-room-collective-where-black-poetry-took-wing.html?_r=0.

“The Dark Room Collective, Then and Now.” Poets and Writers, www.pw.org/content/the_dark_room_collective_then_and_now.

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by Clark Coolidge

Contrary to popular belief, the 1970s weren’t only characterized by strange clothing and funky music. Amidst the talk of bell-bottoms and jumpsuits continued a style of language and creativity which existed long before the invention of formal writing: poetry – specifically, Language Poetry.

Despite the name, Language (or L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E) Poetry has nothing to do with the languages of the world – that would be too easy. And what does L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E even mean? How important are the equal signs in the name that they’re worth the time it takes to write it all out? Suman Chakroborty claims that the equal signs are used to show the equality of letters, “because every letter carries the power of expression and communication, when it is tied with another letter from the same Language and forms words, sentences and a written text”. He goes on to explain the school’s belief that words hold power, which is stored as energy that can be transferred from the writer to the reader². (Whether or not this is accurate or mumbo jumbo is up for your interpretation.)

The poets associated with this new school of poetry started to grow in San Fransisco and New York City (apparently these are the only 2 places that anything interesting happens) around 1971 with the publication of This, a magazine which focused on avant-garde poetry written by many of the school’s poets⁵. More notably, the poets prospered in a magazine titled L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E (from which they got their name), published by Charles Bernstein and Bruce Andrews in 1978 and 1981². And surprise surprise: both Bernstein and Andrews were Language poets.

These two men stated that the poems they chose to publish highlighted “a spectrum of writing that places its attention primarily on language and ways of making meaning, that takes for granted neither vocabulary, grammar, process, shape, syntax, program, or subject matter … and to develop more fully the latticework of those involved in aesthetically related activity.” The magazine published the works of a variety of poets, but several re-occurring individuals turned up through the publications: Bernstein (surprise again), Andrews (surprise.. again), Watten, Hejinian, and Silliman¹.

Ronald Glenn Silliman in particular is an American-born poet who, during the 1980s, was a “crusader for the cause” and helped to put many of his fellow poets’ works into the spotlight. He strongly argues that poetry is a “collaboration between the writer and reader,” a principle upheld by other Language poets⁴. Silliman claims that what connects the writers of this school “is not any particular style or practice but a community of concern for language as the center of whatever activity poems might be”³. Long story short, language lovers make up the language poets. How many more surprises are there?

A major point of divergence between the poetic styles of the Language poets with other poets during this time was the stigma surrounding voice-poems; what is voice poetry, you ask? George Hartley explains the driving force behind voice poetry as the idea that “the poet (a self-present subject) transmits a particular message (“experience,” “emotion”) to a reader (another self-present subject) through a language which is neutral, transparent, “natural.”” The Language poets challenge the socially-constructed norms of poetry by rejecting voice-poetry as the “natural” way to write. Bernstein especially comments on the fact that poetic forms and styles are all social constructs that should be challenged.³ Like most poetic schools, being formal and going with the flow is a tragedy; being yourself is the new style (spoiler: that’s a lie).

Additionally, Bernstein argues that the poet is not the most important or most substantial driving force behind poetry. Instead, “a poem exists in a matrix of social and historical relations that are more significant to the formation of an individual text than any personal qualities of the life or voice of an author”¹. What do you know – poets who don’t write poetry just to impress other people with their completely useless-in-life poetry skills. Language poets also take into consideration the social and political happenings that are affecting the world – especially the Vietnam War, which took place during this time⁵.

According to Chakroborty², the Language poets “force the readers to take active participation in the production of meaning – they are the players, who want to open up different possibilities of interpretation by placing some words / letters in the blank space of a paper as a part of their play with Language.” Have you ever been so lazy that you got someone else to do your job for you? Chakroborty uses a piece written by Clark Coolidge – which is provided at the beginning of this post – to exemplify this thinking.

The problem (or genius) with Coolidge’s work is that it appears rather incomplete. The words aren’t words at all – instead, they are fragments, as if the first half of the words has been cut off. In order to understand the poem, the reader must supply the letters to change these fragments into words. But how is the reader supposed to know exactly what the poet was intending these words to be? Simply, he isn’t (wtf?). This poem – as well as others written by the Language poets in a similarly collaborative fashion – challenges traditional poetic views of meaning and intentionalism².

tl;dr   The Language poets started a movement that called for the breaking of poetic norms and an increased importance on the relationship between the poet and the reader by taking grammatical ideas and using them in new ways (while also not being donkeys about it).

Teagan Crist

Introduction to Poetry

Saxton

14 February 2017

---

¹Bartlett, Lee. “What Is ‘Language Poetry’?” Critical Inquiry, vol. 12, no. 4, 1986, pp. 741–752.

²Chakroborty, Suman. “Meaning, Unmeaning & the Poetics of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E.” The Indian Review of World Literature in English 4.1 (2008): 16-27. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

³Hartley, George. “Textual Politics and the Language Poets (excerpts).” University of Pennsylvania, 1989. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.

⁴“Ron(ald) (Glenn) Silliman.” Contemporary Poets. Gale, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

⁵Williams, Tyrone. “Language Poets.” Salem Press Encyclopedia (2016): Research Starters. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

            The Graveyard School is an appropriate name to describe a group of 15 British poets. These poets were among the first to write about dreary themes such as death and darkness. Sometimes the poets would literally go to a cemetery and write about the depressing moments in their lives. I would give anything to be a fly on a tombstone while these guys were decided what to write next. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes their writings as, “…express[ing] the sorrow and pain of bereavement, evok[ing] the horror of death’s physical manifestations, and suggest[ing] the transitory nature of human life.”

The group started in the 18^th century and kicked off the Romantic Movement. Many scholars say that this group of poetry is also responsible for the start of the gothic movement. Because of these writers, dark emotions are now accepted into the realm of poetry. It is believed that most of these poets were Christians. Many of the Graveyard poets used symbolism and other literary devices to capture their relationship with God and their purpose in this world. Many Christian poets think that writing about their God in this dark tone is disrespectful, but these writers are capturing the unknown and doubts about their God through somber writing styles. This new freedom to write about their religion in a pessimistic way allows Christian poetry to be raw and authentic.

There were debatably 15 Graveyard poets, but many of these 15 are not well known. Some of the most famous poets from this time are Edward Young, Robert Blair, Thomas Parnell, and Thomas Grey. Edward Young is considered to be one of the first Graveyard poets. His most famous poem is called “The Complaint: or Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality.” Young was inspired to write this poem after the death of his wife, stepdaughter, and stepdaughter’s husband. All of these loved ones died within 6 years of each other. Young chooses to write in a blank verse dramatic monologue to capture his perspective of death (because let’s face it, Young has been around a lot of dying people.) He decides to split up the nearly 10,000-lined poem into 9 nights. Having seen death so many times in his family, Young can write about death with many experiences in mind.

Robert Blair is famous for his poem “The Grave.” This poem is also written in blank verse and is 767 lines long. “The Grave” has incredible descriptions of the horrors that come with death. Passages such as, “Again the screech owl shrieks- ungracious sound! I’ll hear no more; it makes one’s blood run chill,” leave the reader uneasy from the vivid descriptions. Many different themes are presented in this poem, but the most prominent theme woven throughout the piece is accepting human mortality. No matter how high up someone rises in life, everyone ends up in the ground – a humbling and depressing perspective on life.

Thomas Parnell is considered have been a genius early on in life. He enrolled in college at thirteen years old and earned a master’s degree at twenty-one. Parnell became depressed after his wife died. His most famous poem, “A Night-Piece on Death,” expresses his feelings that come with depression. This poem’s form is different because it is a simple iambic tetrameter that rhymes in couplets. This poem expresses the hopeless idea that our lives are too short to hold any sort of meaning. In the last few lines, Parnell concludes with the idea that, “On earth, and in the body placed/ A few, and evil, years they waste.”

The Graveyard School is made up of revolutionary poems that started a new literary movement. Some believe that these poets were ahead of their time. Even today, people get uncomfortable reading about the dark sides of life and death, but along with this new style, comes new truths. Many of the Graveyard poets had difficult lives and saw death many times. The Graveyard poems can be a comfort to people who are also looking at death with their own negative experiences. As humans, we try to put complicated concepts we cannot understand into words to simplify the concept. When people can write about the horrors of death and earthly sorrows, then the darkness doesn’t seem so intimidating or frightening. The Graveyard poets were the first to take up this intimidating task by putting their fears on paper. For this reason, their works and innovation will forever be cherished.

 

Bibliography

“18th Century Poets.” Poet Seers » 18th Century Poets. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

“Graveyard School of Poetry.” Graveyard School of Poetry. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Huff, James Orton. The Graveyard School of Poets. N.p.: n.p., 1912. Print.

PARISOT, ERIC. “Exhuming The Graveyard School.” Papers On Language & Literature 52.4 (2016): 380-383. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

“Pre-Romanticism.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

Team, The Sheffield Gothic. “”A Night-Piece on Death”.” Sheffield Gothic. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Edward Young.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Graveyard School.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Robert Blair.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 08 Feb. 2017.

“The Graveyard Poets [ARTICLE].” DarkestGoth Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.

Sons of Ben (Research)

Katie Gallamore

Professor Teresa Saxton

• followers of Ben Jonson’s English poetry and drama
• first half of the 17th century
• all male followers
• they followed his philosophies and style of poetry
• however, unlike Jonson, they were loyal to the king
• the term “Sons of Ben” most commonly referred to dramatists who were outspokenly influenced by Jonson’s dramas
• there are eleven known members of the group: Richard Brome, Thomas Nabbles, Henry Glapthorne, Thomas Killigrew, Sir William Davenant, William Cartwright, Shackerely Marmion, Jasper Mayne, Peter Hausted, Thomas Randolph, and William Cavendish
• the term “Tribe of Ben” applied to Cavalier poets who were influenced by Jonson’s poetry including: Robert Herrick, Sir John Suckling, Richard Lovelace, and Thomas Carew
• the group, led by Jonson, convened at various taverns in London, especially the Apollo Room in the Devil’s Head and the Mermaid Tavern 
• The “Rules of Conviviality” were the rules Jonson laid down for the group to follow
• Ben Jonson was a Cavalier poet
• “Cavalier poets is a broad description of a school of English poets of the 17th century, who came from the classes that supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. Much of their poetry is light in style, and generally secular in subject. They were marked out by their lifestyle and religion from the Roundheads, who supported Parliament and were often Puritans (either Presbyterians or Independents).The best known of the Cavalier poets are Ben Jonson, Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Thomas Carew, and Sir John Suckling.”
• Jonson was friends with many of the writers of his day, and many of his most well-known poems include tributes to friends such as Shakespeare, John Donne and Francis Bacon.

Sources:

“Ben Jonson.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/ben-jonson>.

“Ben Jonson (1572-1637).” Ben Jonson (1572-1637). N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/jonson/>.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Cavalier Poet.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 July 1998. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cavalier-poets>.

Tinker. “17th Century Poetic Movements – Trailblazers, Poetic Movements.” Poetry Magnum Opus. N.p., 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 30 Jan. 2017. <http://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F2331-17th-century-poetic-movements%2F>.

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