Eighteenth Century English Literature - 5838 Words

Chapter III: Eighteenth Century English Literature LITERATURE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT (18th century) The 17th century was one of the most stormy periods of English history. The growing contradictions between the new class, the bourgeoisie, and the old forces of feudalism brought about the English Bourgeois Revolution in the 1640s. As a result of the revolution the king was dethroned and beheaded and England was proclaimed a republic. Though very soon monarchy was restored, the position of the bourgeoisie had changed. The 18th century saw Great Britain rapidly growing into a capitalist country. It was an age of intensive industrial development. New mills and manufactures appeared one after another. Small towns grew into†¦show more content†¦Such composition of the novel gave the author a chance to create an all-embracing picture of the 18th century England, to write a comic epopee as Fielding himself called the novel. Fielding also worked out the theory of the novel. In the introductory chapters to the eighteen parts of The History of Tom Jones he put forward the main requirements that the novel should meet: to imitate life, to show the variety of human nature, to expose the roots and causes of mans shortcomings and to indicate the ways of overcoming them. 3. Late Enlightenment (Sentimentalism) (1750-1780). The writers of this period, like the Enlighteners of the first two periods, expressed the democratic bourgeois tendencies of their time. They also tried to find a way out of the difficulties of the existing order. However, while their predecessors believed in the force of intellect, they considered feelings (or sentiments) most important. The principal representatives of sentimentalism in the genre of the novel were Oliver Goldsmith (The Vicar of Wakefield) and Lawrence Sterne (Tristram Shandy, The Sentimental Journey) and in drama-Richard Sheridan (School for Scandal and other plays). Questions and tasks 1. What is the meaning of the word enlightenment 2. What was the peculiarity of the Enlightenment in England as compared with that in France 3. What were the two trendsShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Women in English Literature: From Beowulf up to the Late Eighteenth Century963 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss the role of women in English literature, both as characters in works written by men and women and as authors in their own right, from Beowulf up to the late eighteenth century. The role of women in English literature from Beowulf up to the late eighteenth century mostly represented the mores and gender expectations of the time. Exceptions were Rebecca in Sir Walter Scotts Ivanhoe who epitomized an intelligent and courageous woman and Grendalls mother in Beowulf who tried to attack theRead MoreThe Earl Of Rochester And Jonathan Swift1307 Words   |  6 PagesWhen reading Eighteenth- Century literature it is clear that the concept of one’s privacy was non-existent, particularly in poetry. Poets of this period were more aware of the growing public readership they had as a result of developments in education, and people from each class were now able to access poetry. This meant what was published had a greater impact on society, as poetry became increasingly â€Å"[†¦] a more public form of expression† (Goring, P. p.64) for writer’s opinions on political andRead MorePoliteness And Its Impact On The Early Nineteenth Century1060 Words à ‚  |  5 Pagesas a verbal fixture in the eighteenth century, it was frequently used in a vacuous manner resulting in its adding relatively little to both the general notions of â€Å"correctness† and â€Å"refinement† (Stein van Ostade, 1994). However, during the early part of the eighteenth century, there is significant evidence of the term â€Å"politeness† having a definite and specific set of resonances. The importance of investigating the notion of â€Å"politeness† in the early eighteenth century is that although the mainRead More The History of England’s Masquerade Essay977 Words   |  4 Pagespart in the ideas and themes of England during the eighteenth century. Its popularity spanned most of the century, bringing together people of all classes, from the highest nobleman to the lowest commoner. Masquerades were a firmly established part of city life in England by the 1720s. Most masquerades were held in buildings especially designed for them, such as the Haymarket, the Soho, or the Pantheon. During the early part of the century, masquerades held at the Haymarket, the most popularRead More Satire in the Eighteenth Century Essay790 Words   |  4 PagesSatire in the Eighteenth Century      Ã‚  Ã‚   New ideas, original thoughts, and fresh interpretations characterized the spirit of the eighteenth century. Science was flourishing, and therefore it brought new discoveries that challenged the traditional dominating force of religion.   Influential figures of the age, such as Voltaire, Jonathan Swift, and William Hogarth, strove to assure human betterment and advance human thinking through truth and humorous criticism.   They employed the use of satireRead MoreThe English Sonnet768 Words   |  4 PagesThe English Sonnet The sonnet is the most important, as it is the most perfect, of all modern lyric forms (Reed, 119). Although the sonnet made a relatively late appearance in English literature, it has become a staple in the lyrical expression of private emotions. The sonnet has been used by every poet from Petrarch, who created the original Italian sonnet, to Shakespeare, who reinvented the sonnets form. Because the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet is the original form, it is the legitimateRead MoreEssay on Industrial Revolution1279 Words   |  6 PagesIndustrial Revolution Europe during the eighteenth century was at the height of the industrial revolution, none of which reached America. In New England the population was largely English, but America as a whole had more than 20 ethnic strains present, nowhere in Europe could such a heterogeneous mixture be found. America was unique in its political structure. Americans vested authority in personalities, rather than, as in England, in institutions of tradition. As a people they had been stripedRead MoreRealism and the Humanities 1718 Words   |  7 PagesMovement impacted many different areas in literature and the arts, and spanned many countries and centuries, affecting and changing how these things were, and are still, viewed by the people. Realism was first established in France during the late eighteenth/ early nineteenth century to describe literary and visual works where the aim was to create something that accurately showed the world as it was. Nineteenth century Realism was a response to nineteenth century Romanticism, which caused many novelistsRead MoreHomosexuality in Eighteenth Century England1079 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Fourteenth Century on, Western Europe was gripped by a rabid and obsessive negative preoccupation with homosexuality as the most horrible of sins (Boswell 262). The majority of people did not understand or accept the idea, and consequentially did not have an appropriate way of talking about it. Over the years, as various cultures identified and even implemented practices currently associated with homosexuality, there arose a need for common terminology. Until the eighteenth century, it was referredRead MoreEssay about Contrasting Neo-Classic and Pre-Romantic Literature1153 Words   |  5 PagesContrasting Neo-Classic and Pre-Romantic Literature Neo-classicist writers placed great emphasis on taking a practical approach to life and their writing, focusing often on logic, science, and technology, and preferring not to employ frivolous embellishments or reflect on the abstract. They wanted unadorned fact whereas the romantics favored a more creatively inclined form of expression (Anderson et al. 1). Before the romantics began, however, pre-romanticism edged in slowly, acting as the bridge