Literature In The 17th Century Essay

The attitude towards literature in the 17th century was divided among society. There was the opinion of the religious leaders who believed that literature was corrupted. Literature in their eyes will lead society to regress. On the other hand, we have writers such as Philip Sidney, Thomas Browne, and Francis Bacon who argued that literature was beneficial to society. In hindsight, we can see that the religious leaders were wrong. History serves as perfect evidence as to how literature helped society advance in positive ways instead of regressing. Philip Sidney was best known for his literature piece, The Defense of Poesy. Sidney believed that literature unlike history allowed societies to make connections with reality, as well as allowing

Literature pieces such as Religio Medici by Thomas Browne served as a stepping stone for society to improve in the 17th century. Religio Medici was able to expose the current problems residing within society. During the time period, society constantly tunnel versioned towards religion to the extent that they ignored their own common sense. Before the scientific revolution, it was common for one to pray to god if he or she was ill. By praying, the ill person was believed to be healed eventually by god himself. Browne believes that this is all fake, and he almost mocks those who would tunnel vision towards religion, “I boast nothing, but plainly say, we all labor against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases. There is no catholic or universal remedy I know but this, which though nauseous to queasy stomachs, yet to prepared appetites is nectar and a pleasant potion of immortality” (94). It is quite obvious that Browne was not the most religious person during this time period. By mocking Catholic followers, Browne pushes society to become more individualistic. Society will be driven by its own intuition, and innovate new ways to discover cures for diseases. We can see how this takes place in the American culture every day. Let’s say someone is currently suffering with a high fever of 200 degrees. Would you expect that person to go to Church, and pray to god? The answer is obviously no. That person would die, as Browne states “death is cure of all disease”. But

During the 17th century, most countries were being ruled by a single monarch. There was no power given to the common people of society. Thus, many common people were subjected to the abuse of a monarch’s power. John Locke was an important philosopher at this time because he saw a vision that was not traditionally talked about or expressed before. John Locke describes his ideal society in his book The Two Treatises of Civil Government:
“To understand political power right, and derive it from its original, we must consider what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom in order their actions, and dispose of their possessions, and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man”