1. Wit, like all other things, subject by their nature to the choice of man, has its changes and fashions, and, at different times, takes different forms.
2. Sublimity is protected by aggregation and hit consist dispersion. ★★★
3. To love excellence is natural, it is natural likewise for the love to solicit reciprocal regard by an elaborate display of his ow qualifications. ★★★
4. The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together.★★★
1. Wit, like all other things, subject by their nature to the choice of man, has its changes and fashions, and, at different times, takes different forms.
Explanation
The given line is taken from Samuel Johnson’s The Life of Cowley. Here Johnson explains the changing nature of wit. By “wit,” he means cleverness, intellectual ability, and the power to express ideas in an ingenious or striking manner.
Johnson says that wit is not fixed or permanent. It is influenced by the choice, taste, and fashion of people. Therefore, what is considered witty and impressive in one age may not be appreciated in another. In different periods, wit appears in different forms according to the literary taste of the time.Johnson makes this observation while discussing Abraham Cowley and the metaphysical poets. Their poetry was once admired for its learning, intellectual cleverness, unusual comparisons, and elaborate conceits. However, literary taste later changed, and this kind of complicated wit became less popular. Readers began to prefer greater clarity, simplicity, order, and natural expression.Thus, Johnson means that literary taste is changeable, and the form of wit changes with the fashions of different ages. The line also helps us understand why Cowley, who was highly admired in his own time, later suffered a decline in popularity.In short, Johnson’s point is that wit is not permanent; it changes its form according to the taste and fashion of different periods.
2. Sublimity is protected by aggregation and hit consist dispersion. ★★★
Explanation
The given lines are taken from Samuel Johnson’s The Life of Cowley. Here Johnson explains what makes poetry great and sublime.By “sublimity,” Johnson means greatness, grandeur, and power of thought. He says that “sublimity is produced by aggregation”, meaning that great poetry brings together broad and important ideas. Such ideas have a wide significance and can be understood by many people.On the other hand, “littleness is produced by dispersion.” “Dispersion” means scattering attention among many small and unimportant details. When a poet concentrates too much on minute details, the poetry loses its grandeur and becomes trivial.Johnson therefore says that “great thoughts are always general.” Great poetry should express universal ideas and truths rather than being limited to narrow or highly specific matters. It should not “descend to minuteness,” that is, it should not become unnecessarily concerned with tiny details.This statement is also connected with Johnson’s criticism of the Metaphysical Poets, especially Cowley. Johnson appreciates their learning and cleverness, but he feels that their excessive use of complicated conceits and particular details often prevents their poetry from achieving true sublimity.Thus, Johnson’s main idea is that great poetry should be broad, general, and universal, while excessive attention to small details produces triviality.Aggregation” creates greatness through broad and universal ideas, whereas “dispersion” creates littleness through excessive attention to minute details.
3. To love excellence is natural, it is natural likewise for the love to solicit reciprocal regard by an elaborate display of his ow qualifications. ★★★
Explanation
The given line is taken from Samuel Johnson’s The Life of Cowley. In this passage, Johnson makes an observation about human nature, especially the natural desire for appreciation and recognition.
By “excellence,” Johnson means great qualities, abilities, talents, or virtues. He says that it is natural for human beings to love and admire excellence. People are naturally attracted to things that are good, remarkable, or superior.Johnson then says that a person who loves excellence naturally wants “reciprocal regard.” This means that a person wishes to receive the same respect, admiration, or appreciation from others. If someone possesses or values excellent qualities, they naturally want other people to recognize and appreciate those qualities.The phrase “an elaborate display of his own qualifications” means showing or presenting one’s abilities, talents, or good qualities in an impressive and detailed manner. A person may therefore talk about or demonstrate his achievements because he wants others to notice and admire him.Thus, Johnson presents a simple truth about human behaviour: people not only admire excellence but also desire recognition for excellence in themselves. This desire for appreciation is a common feature of human social life.
In short, Johnson means that the love of excellence naturally creates a desire for appreciation and respect from others. People want their abilities and virtues to be recognized, and therefore they often make an elaborate display of their qualifications. The quotation reveals Johnson’s keen understanding of human nature and the universal desire for recognition.
4. The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together.★★★
The given line is taken from Samuel Johnson’s The Life of Cowley. In this famous statement, Johnson criticizes the Metaphysical Poets for their excessive use of unusual and complicated comparisons.
By “heterogeneous ideas,” Johnson means ideas that are very different from one another and do not naturally belong together. The Metaphysical Poets often brought such distant ideas together in their poetry through clever comparisons called conceits.The phrase “yoked by violence together” means that these different ideas are joined forcefully and unnaturally. According to Johnson, the poets strain their imagination to create connections between things that have little natural relationship. As a result, their poetry may appear clever and surprising but sometimes lacks naturalness and smoothness.Johnson acknowledges the learning, wit, and intellectual ability of the Metaphysical Poets. However, he believes that they sometimes use their intelligence merely to display their cleverness. Their complicated conceits can make poetry difficult to understand and may reduce its natural beauty and emotional effect.Thus, Johnson’s criticism is that cleverness should not be achieved at the cost of natural expression. A good poetic comparison should appear convincing and appropriate rather than forced.
In short, Johnson means that the Metaphysical Poets often force very different ideas into unnatural relationships in order to create clever conceits. Although this technique shows their wit and learning, Johnson believes that excessive use of it can make poetry artificial, difficult, and less pleasing.