The restoration of King Charles II to the English throne marked the beginning of the restoration period. It was called the restoration period, because it is during the same period that monarchy was restored in England. From the historical timeline, the restoration period began in 1660 and extended into 1700s. One of the major developments that followed the restoration of King Charles II was the repudiation of the puritan standards and way of life. Initially, the puritans controlled the literary work and defined moral and social standards of the people (Naeem, 2010). After the restoration of King Charles II, all the puritan regulations were abolished creating a rather free environment particularly for the authors of the time. Most writers began to imitate the French writers, throwing away the patriotism, love of adventure creative vigor and moral discipline aspects defined by the old Elizabethan and puritan spirit. Despite having deviated from dominant styles developed before the restoration period, the writer made a significant contribution to English literature. Two of their major contributions are realism and precision. They are known for vividly talking about the corruption in the society and courts and focusing on the vices rather than the virtues. The works of Alexander Pope, John Locke and Jonathon demonstrate the aspects of realism and satire. The essay explores the shift in literary work during the restoration period. .
Alexander Pope.
Alexander Pope was an American poet born to a Roman Catholic family. He was mainly known for his satirical poetry work and competence as a translator. Pope's satire stands out in the sense that it is not defined by fun but a particular degree of personal animosity (Szwec, 2011). He severally demonstrated his animosity through his poetry work. In the year 1725, Pope published an edition of Shakespeare that attracted great criticism from conservative authors such as Lewis Theobald.