The Progress of Poesy: A Pindaric Ode

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1757

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Background

Historical Context

For much of the history of western culture, scholars, philosophers, and artists looked backward to the examples set by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Many of the most learned people in Europe read and wrote about ideas primarily in Latin—or, less commonly and in the case of areas that follow Eastern Orthodoxy, ancient Greek. Part of the reason for this use of antiquated languages is that the source texts for theological, philosophical, and medical theories were composed by ancient Greeks or Romans. The surviving works of these ancient authors was often considered authoritative, and the theories presented in them were only developed through intricate commentaries.

This tradition of reverence for the ancients came to a head during the European Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries. During this period, developments like archaeology, printing, and the scientific method created a rift in ideas about ancient works. The archaeological finds uncovered a wealth of previously unknown texts and artworks from this period that substantiated ancient mastery. Printing facilitated a common, vernacular literature that soon came to rival ancient works. The scientific method of inquiry, similarly, provided a codified method of engaging with the natural world and discovering its intricacies. These developments also lead to the Age of Enlightenment, a 17th and 18th-century European movement that emphasized reason and empirical evidence. This period marked the first significant disconnection of European culture from its classical roots, a connection Gray invokes in “The Progress of Poesy”, written in the midst of the Age of Enlightenment.

Literary Context

Despite the rise of recognizable masters of English poetry such as William Shakespeare and John Dryden, the rapid development of western culture during the European Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment was mirrored by similar trends in literature. Figures of the Renaissance composed mostly for the stage and public performance. King Charles I’s banning of the theater during the First English Civil War in 1642 resulted in a shift toward more private modes of expression.

The Augustan poets, such as Alexander Pope and John Dryden, wrote for theater after the ban dissolved but are best remembered for their biting satires, mastery of poetic style, and rhetorical abilities. Poetry was the main form of public discourse, and many poets forwarded their ideas using poetry. Their focus on reason and rhetoric, however, resulted in stagnation after Pope’s death in 1744. Many critics considered Pope’s work impossible to match. The latter half of the 18th century saw a move away from the Augustan poets' calculated poetry. For some poets, such as Gray, this meant a turn towards private thoughts and an emphasis on emotion over reason. In “The Progress of Poesy” and his other Pindaric Ode The Bard, Gray also reengages with the classical forms that the Augustan poets appeared to have solved, breathing new life into the genre.