Cavalier Poetry and Drama Criticism
The Cavalier literary movement, active from 1625 to 1649, is distinguished by its wit, elegance, and exploration of amorous themes, reflecting the upper-class values of its Royalist authors. Key figures in this movement include Thomas Carew, Sir John Suckling, Robert Herrick, and Richard Lovelace. As noted by Thomas Clayton, their works collectively embody the Cavalier spirit of lightheartedness and the celebration of everyday life. Often aligned politically as Royalists during the English Civil Wars, these poets were influenced by predecessors such as Ben Jonson and John Donne, and in some cases, the Petrarchan tradition.
Despite historical neglect by modern critics who favor more serious literature, the Cavaliers' contribution remains significant. Manfred Weidhorn appraises Lovelace’s enduring appeal, while Lynn Sadler highlights Carew’s innovative synthesis of influences. Suckling’s love letters, as analyzed by Warren W. Wooden, reveal a playful yet subversive engagement with courtly love conventions.
During the interregnum, Cavalier drama, as explored by Geoffrey D. Aggeler, provided a subtle critique of political and religious tensions through plays performed in private settings. Andrew Marvell’s engagement with Cavalier themes, as noted by Michael H. Markel, introduced a layer of skepticism, suggesting deeper complexities within these themes.
The depiction of women in Cavalier poetry, per Marjorie Swann and Joshua Scodel, often involved objectification or a playful balance between restraint and desire, reflecting both the sophistication and the problematic aspects of this literary period.
Contents
- Representative Works
-
Criticism: Overviews
-
The Lyric in the Reigns of the First Two Stuart Monarchs
(summary)
In the following excerpt, first published in 1913, Schelling classifies the poetry of Carew, Herrick, and the other Cavalier poets as secular, and stresses its relation to the social life of the period.
-
Introduction to Cavalier Poets: Selected Poems
(summary)
In this essay, Clayton presents an overview of the four major Cavalier poets: Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, John Suckling, and Richard Lovelace.
-
The Pleasures of Restraint: The Mean of Coyness in Cavalier Poetry
(summary)
In the essay below, Scodel argues that Cavalier poets “playfully and sometimes outrageously” replaced temperance with “a mistress's tantalizing coyness or a man's tantalized desire” as the appropriate middle ground between abstinence and lust.
-
Cavalier Love: Fetishism and Its Discontents
(summary)
In the following essay, Swann examines how Cavalier poets fetishized women in their works and discusses what this reveals about masculine anxiety.
-
The Lyric in the Reigns of the First Two Stuart Monarchs
(summary)
-
The Rebellion in Cavalier Drama
(summary)
In the following essay, Aggeler explores the political and religious dimensions in Cavalier drama during the interregnum, emphasizing the diversity of political stances from Royalism to Republicanism, and suggesting that despite the suppression by authorities, these plays provide critical insights into the historical events of the Great Rebellion.
-
Criticism: Major Figures
-
Reputation and Achievement
(summary)
In the essay that follows, Weidhorn discusses Richard Lovelace's critical reputation and considers his body of work as a whole.
-
The Cavalier Art of Love: The Amatory Epistles of Sir John Suckling
(summary)
In the following essay, Wooden examines John Suckling's love letters and contends that they demonstrate control, awareness, sophistication, and unconventionality.
-
Carew's Life and ‘School’ of Poetry
(summary)
In the essay below, Sadler offers a biography of Thomas Carew, considers his reputation, and praises him for showing variety and care in his work.
-
Perception and Expression in Marvell's Cavalier Poetry
(summary)
In the following essay, Markel discusses poetry by Andrew Marvell that engages the Cavalier mode while at the same time exploring its conventions and limitations.
-
Reputation and Achievement
(summary)
- Further Reading