ENGL 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, Literal And Figurative Language
25 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Reading notes of truth, of marriage and single life, from novum organum. Played a central role in development of the english essay. Inaugurated genre of scientific utopia: civil and moral, bacon adopts an aphoristic structure and a curt, often disjunctive style, tone of objectivity and weighty sententiousness. Presents himself as a mouthpiece for society"s accumulated practical wisdom: truth, marriage and love. Written from the vantage point of a man of affairs rather than that of a profound moralist. Interested in moral wisdom and public virtue, insights into interests, problems and thinking of the jacobean ruling class. Views: saw human history as progressive and believed that his new scientific method would lead humankind to a better future. Novum organum: urged combining empirical investigations with carefully limited and tested generalizations as right method of investigating nature. Style: critique of rhetoric; despite this used the rich resources of figurative language.
