7. The Enlightenment / 18th Century

"The age of reason" refers to which literacy period?

The Enlightenment.

What characterizes the enlightenment period?

• Rationalism - faith in human reason and experiment,

• Intellectual curiosity,

• Devotion to clarity of thought,

• Harmony, proportion, and balance

What is neoclassicism?

The dominant cultural movement, drawing inspiration from Ancient Greece and Rome.

What characterizes neoclassicism?

Great respect for classical authors, emphasis on imitation over originality, detachment, moderation, clarity, and elegance of style.

What are the stages of neoclassicism?

• The Augustan Age (1700-1745),

• The Age of Samuel Johnson (1745-1770/98).

What characterizes poetry in the Augustan age (neoclassical poetry)?

• Rationalism,

• Strict control of imagination,

• The idea of poetry as a social activity,

• Importance of decorum (consistency with canons of propriety).

Who was considered the best-known poet of the enlightenment period?

Alexander Pope.

What is An Essay on Criticism (Alexander Pope) about?

It's a long didactic poem in heroic couplets, a work of both poetry and criticism, examining neoclassical aesthetics and emphasizing the imitation of nature and classical models.

What is The Rape of the Lock (Alexander Pope) about?

A mock-heroic epic that parodies epic conventions by applying a lofty, serious tone to a trivial subject (the snipping of a lock of hair), mocking a society that has lost all sense of proportion.

What is An Essay on Man (Alexander Pope) about?

A philosophical essay in heroic couplets, dealing with "the proper study of mankind is Man".

When was the rise and development of the novel?

In the Augustan period, novels were influenced by non-fiction (journalism, essays), often presented as "true stories" with first-person narrators and many small details to create an impression of verisimilitude.

Who wrote Robinson Crusoe?

Daniel Defoe.

What is Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels about?

On the surface it's a book of travels but functions as a sharp satire on the human race and English society.

How was Gulliver's Travels viewed later in the 18th century?

The novel became understood as a "picture of real life and manners" (unlike romance).

What is the novel of manners/sentiment about?

They presented moral behaviour and appealed to feelings.

What is an epistolary novel?

A novel written as a series of letters.

Who wrote Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded?

Samuel Richardson.

What is the "realistic" novel about?

Marked by rationalism and satiric purposes.

Who wrote The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling?

Henry Fielding.

Who wrote A Dictionary of the English Language?

Samuel Johnson.

Which work became a precursor of the 20th-century "stream of consciousness" technique?

Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman.