Chapter Seven The Eighteenth Century (four class hours)

1. Chapter Seven The Eighteenth Century (four class hours)

2. The Age of Reason (1688——1798) The first two hours • I. Historical Background • II. The special features of the cultural life at the time • III. The characteristics of neoclassicism • IV. Representative authors of the time

3. I. Historical background the talk between Whig and Tory After the Glorious Revolution, Whig and Tory were established. The former one represented the interests of the moneyed class, while the latter one represented the royalists.

4. Another thing which needs attention is that in that period England fought many wars with France, Spain, etc.

5. In those wars England rose as a victor making it the strongest country in navy and economy and considerably stretching its occupied land oversees extending from the west of Canada to the east of India. An island of the British West Indies

6. a. Political writings: the rise of the political parties led to the appearance of pamphlet wars of political writings attracting many writers to work for either of the parties or both alternatively. II. The special features of the cultural life at the time b. The rise of newspapers and magazines: the reason for the rise: Both parties had their respective ones to express their opinions. The rise of the middle class demanded entertainment and education and they need to express their views too.

7. c. Coffeehouses: where people gathered to exchange ideas and thus they help to determine the literary trend of the time • d. The new morality: The emphasis on reason The development of tolerance of different opinions in politics and religion

8. The new epistemology of John Locke (1632——1704) • e. The influence of science and technology: Principia Mathematica in 1687 by Newton (1642——1727)

9. f. French influence——Augustanism——neoclassicism stressing to learn from the classicals

10. 1 2 Reason rather than emotion and form rather than content were emphasized. Most of the writings at the time were didactic and satirical. III. The characteristics of neoclassicism

11. 3. The closed couplet was the only possible verse form for serious work for elegance, correctness, appropriateness and restraint were preferred.

12. 4. It is exclusively a “town” poetry, catering to the interests of the “society” in great cities. The humbler aspect of life are neglected and it showed in most part no love of nature, landscape, or country things and people, though Thomson published the first of his nature poems, Winter as early as after 1726

13. Lacks of the romantic elements and hostile to medieval literature An age of prose, especially the latter part the century 5 6