Francis Bacon and the Seventeenth-Century Intellectual Discourse

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 1-15

3. An Inheritance Recovered

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 17-37

4. Nature’s Confession

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 39-59

5. “Companions of My Thoughts More Green”

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 61-85

6. A “Fantastic Mind” and a “Fix’d Heart”

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 87-112

7. Conclusion

   • Anthony J. Funari

   Pages 113-127

8. Back Matter

   Pages 129-174

   PDF

This book explores the resistance of three English poets to Francis Bacon's project to restore humanity to Adamic mastery over nature, moving beyond a discussion of the tension between Bacon and these poetic voices to suggest theywere also debating the narrative of humanity's intellectual path.

• English literature
• Francis Bacon
• Narrative
• seventeenth century
• Utopia
• British and Irish Literature

"Francis Bacon and the Seventeenth-Century Intellectual Discourse provides new insight on the Baconian debates by examining the works of Donne, Marvell, and Rochester as resistance to Bacon s theory of scientific progression. With sharp, close readings, Funari persuasively demonstrates the argumentative power of seventeenth-century poetry as a counter narrative to what would become the dominant ideology of Western science." - Amy L. Tigner, assistant professor of English, University of Texas, Arlington

"A fascinating, well-argued comparison between Francis Bacon's narrative of recovering human dominion over nature and seventeenth-century skeptics who deny its possibility. Funari draws insightful parallels with today's proponents of technological solutions and environmental philosophers who propose new ways of living with the more-than-human world. Of interest to anyone who wishes to see how history and literature can inform the roots of today's environmental crisis." - Carolyn Merchant, professor, University of California, Berkeley and author of The Death of Nature and Reinventing Eden

"An original and interesting approach to the clash of cultures - the established literary world reacting against the rise of the scientific worldview - this book raises intriguing questions for anyone studying early modern thought." - Linda Anderson, professor of English, Virginia Tech, and author of A Place in the Story: Servants and Service in Shakespeare's Plays

ANTHONY FUNARI Assistant Professor atJohnson Community College, USA.

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