Topic 45: Great Britain in the eighteenth century. Socioeconomic development and political events. Cultural and technical activities. Great novelists of the period.

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138 Terms

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In the 17th century, Great Britain experienced

significant developments that shaped its future as a leading European power

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Developments that shaped its future as a leading European power

  • The British Army

  • The acquisition of new colonies

  • Puritanism gained significant influence

  • A new class of rich people, distinct from the Aristocracy, emerged

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The British Army and the Acquisition of new colonies allowed Britain

to compete with other colonies countries like France.

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Puritanism gained significant influence

leading to a religious revolution and the rise of nonconformists groups such as:

  • The Baptists

  • The Quakers

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Which nonconformist groups rose with the religious revolution?

The Baptists and the Quakers

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During the 18th century, Britain became as powerful as France due to several key factors:

  • The expansion of British industry

  • The immense wealth generated by its trading empire

  • The establishment of the world’s strongest navy

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The social ladder consisted of

  • The Aristocracy

  • The gentry

  • The middleclass

  • The low-class

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In the countryside the aristocrats and the gentry

owned an controlled most of the land.

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The majority of the populations were

Peasants

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Peasants

were engaged in agricultural labour and were controlled by Squires.

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In 1700, England was predominantly

rural

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By 1750, large towns

had begun to emerge

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Initially, conditions in these towns were awful for instance

  • Facilities were smelly

  • Streets were narrow

  • There were no drainage systems

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Consequences of awful conditions in towns

There were high disesases rates and only 25% of the population reached adulthood

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Gradual improvements were made over time

  • Towns gradually became clean and tidy

  • which led to social conditions improvements

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Aristocrats could earn around

100,000 pounds a year

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Workers would not earn more than

15 pounds annually

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Rich people lived in

Huge mansions

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The poor found comfort in

drinking poor quality alcohol such as gin

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What did Quaker do as a result of the poor quality?

The situation was so serious that Quakers took to brewing beer as a safer alternative

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The nobility and the middle classes

grew healthy through trade and exercised considerable power through Parliament to benefit the country and their own interests.

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Landlords and the aristocracy made a great deal of money from

  • Farming

  • Slave trade

  • Coal mining

  • Iron-working

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Example of trading

The British Trade Triangle

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At the beginning of the 18th century, English villages

had common fields divided up into strips for individual farming.

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By the mid-eighteenth century, technological advances

transformed these fields into large forms for scientific mixed farming, leading to the enclosure of common land

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Some villagers had to depend on

The Poor Law

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What did villagers experience depending on the Poor Law?

They faced harsh condition in Parish workouses. Consequently, many left the countryside to join the proletariat and fuel the industrial revolution.

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In the mid-century (18th) the British population was about

Eight million

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Eight million of the British population

still had no representation in Parliament

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How many people had the right to vote?

250,000 people

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Who did control Parliament through ‘rotten boroughs’?

Wealthy elites

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The two-party system, prominent in English politics, emerged in

The late 17th century, when Members of Parliaments (MPs) were grouped under two headings: The Whigs and the Tories.

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The Whigs

were afraid of an absolute monarchy. They evolved into the Liberal Party.

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The Tories

were Royalist. They became the Conservative Party.

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The 1701 Act of Settlement

ruled that no Catholic could inherit the Crown, and as a result, the Hanoverian dynasty ruled Great Britain for two hundred years.

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On the death of Queen Anne,

George I ruler of Hannover was crowned.

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George I ruler of Hannover

was not a popular king

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After the Jacobite rebellions of Scots and English

Tory ‘Jacobite’ connections were unpopular and so the Whigs moved into government.

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Who became the first ever Primer minister?

Robert Walpole, developing the idea of a cabinet.

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During this century, the monarchy’s power was weakened as

Parliament became more authoritative, limiting the king’s power.

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What could the king do?

He could not change laws and he dependent on parliament for his income and army.

But he could choose his ministers, e.g. today’s “Her Majesty’s Government”

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Who is considered responsible for a trading war which lasted seven years?

W. Pitt, later Lord Gratham

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What did the trade war give Britain?

It gave it control of parts of Canada and India.

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Who ended the war of trade?

The recently crowned George III

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As a result of ending the war of trade

George III was criticised and people began to organise themselves politically outside Parliament.

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Important matters of the time

became subject to discussion by ordinary people. This led to an increase of newspapers, public opinion became a powerful influence on politics.

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What created the background for the Britain’s Industrial Revolution?

International power, trade, labour force, demand for goods and population growth

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Why was the Industrial Revolution possible?

Because of the scientific developments, notably those of Sir Isaac Newton

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Isaac Newton

He formulated laws of motion and law of universal gravitation.

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Which innovation was crucial for the Industrial Revolution?

James Watt’s improvements to the steam engine were crucial for the Industrial Revolution.

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In which century Britain became the richest and most powerful country in the world?

18th century

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Who was commissioned to rebuild churches and St Paul’s Cathedral?

Sir Christopher Wren, an influential English arquitect

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When was St Paul’s Cathedral destroyed?

In the great fire of 1666

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Most of Sir Christopher Wren were finished before

the 18th century. St Paul’s Cathedral was his masterpiece.

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St Paul’s Cathedral was his masterpiece, completed after _________ years of work

36

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The 18th century was a remarkable era for

British portrait, satire and landscape painting. Sports such as horse-riding and hunting were popular themes for many paintings.

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One of the prominent painters of the period was

Sir Joshua Reynolds

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The most representative writers were

Defoe, Swift, Richardson and Fielding, explained below, and pre-romantic artists like William Blake.

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The rise of the novel

marked a significant shift in literary history, it became a prominent form of storytelling, offering detailed narratives and complex characters.

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The rise of the novel can be attributed to several factors including:

  • Increased literacy

  • Printing innovations and reduction in the cost of paper

  • Social changes and the rise of the middle class

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Increased literacy

There was a larger audience for books: women and servants

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Printing innovations and reductions in the cost of paper,

making books more accessible

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Some of novel main features were

  • An original plot, not taken from previous literature

  • A focus on specific details (characters, places, time…)

  • Philosophical realism, novels began to focus on realistic portrayals of everyday life and social conditions, reflecting the experiences of ordinary people.

  • There was a new emphasis on authenticity

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A new emphasis on __________

Authenticity

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Daniel Defoe (biography)

He came from a strong religious background; however, he spent most of his life as a non-conformist and was imprisoned because of his work Reasons against Successsion of the House of Hannover. He had over 500 works published, and a few of his novels trascended time.

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Defoe’s first important book was

Robinson Crusoe (1719)

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Robinson Crusoe YEAR

1719

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Robinson Crusoe (1719)

Is a story based on a real event. It is an autobiography told by a trader shipwrecked who was on a desert island for 28 years. Robinson is the first clear example of the prudent hero. His main qualities are: practical sense of life and financial aims.

The novel eliminates man’s relationship in a traditional social order to focus on individualism. It highlights Crusoe’s resourcefulness, self-reliance and personal achievements.

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t is an autobiography told by a trader shipwrecked who was on a desert island for __________

28 years

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Robinson is the first …

clear example of the prudent hero.

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Robinson Crusoe main qualities are:

practical sense of life and financial aims.

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The novel highlights Crusoe’s

resourcefulness, self-reliance and personal achievements.

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Moll Flanders (1722)

It has the classical elements of picaresque novels, including its structure as an autobiography told in the past, many and varied adventures, and a critique to socially wicked actions. Like Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders is a product of individualism, driven by the belief that she must achieve the highest economic and social rewards through any means at her disposal.  And in fact, Moll ends up rich in spite of her criminal activities.

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Moll Flanders YEAR

1722

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Moll Flanders is written in

plain prose, marked by straightforward language and utilitarian clarity. Its style is mainly journalistic, emphasizing narrative realism, extensive use of imagination and a meticulous attention to detail. It offers a glimpse of the lives of the poor in the 18th century.

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Moll Flanders has the classical elements of picaresque novels, including

  • Its structure as an autobiography told in the past

  • Many and varied adventures

  • and a critique to socially wicked actions.

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Like Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders is

a product of individualism, driven by the belief that she must achieve the highest economic and social rewards through any means at her disposal. And in fact, Moll ends up rich in spite of her criminal activities.

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Moll flanders style

It is mainly journalistic, emphasizing:

  • Narrative realism

  • Extensive use of imagination

  • And a meticulous attention to detail.

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Samuel Richardson (biography)

Samuel Richardson was a self-made man, he worked as a master printer and prospered in his profession. He wrote three novels, all of them in epistolary style: Pamela, Clarissa and the History of Sir Charles Grandison.

These novels dealt with middle-class morality, the importance of reputation and the social pressure on individuals. In contrast to the protagonist Moll Flanders, Richardson’s main characters reflect a preoccupation with virtue.

Although his reputation stood high during his lifetime -except for the mockery of Fielding’s works like Joseph Andrews, his work was somehow denigrated at the end of the century.

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Samuel Richardson worked as __________ and prospered in his profession

a master printer

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Samuel Richardson wrote three novels, all of them in

epistolary style

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Richardson novels dealt with

  • Middle-class morality

  • The importance of reputation

  • and the social pressure on individuals.

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In contrast to the protagonist Moll Flanders, Richardson’s main characters reflect a __________

preoccupation with virtue.

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Although Richardson reputation stood high during his lifetime -except for the mockery of Fielding’s works like Joseph Andrews, his work was ….

somehow denigrated at the end of the century.

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Pamela (1740)

The action is narrated through the letters a young maid sends to her father. Pamela’s master tries to seduce her and rape her. She abandons the house but he seeks her return and ask her to marry him and she accepts.

The novel explores themes of virtue, social class and the rewards of maintaining personal integrity. However, although some readers consider Pamela as an example of virtue to follow, other believed she was a hypocritical girl that used her virtue to seduce a man.

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Pamela YEAR

1740

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What is the plot of Pamela (1740)?

The action is narrated through the letters a young maid sends to her father: Pamela’s master tries to seduce her and rape her. She abandons the house but he seeks her return and asks her to marry him, and she accepts.

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What themes does Pamela explore?

The novel explores:

  • Themes of virtue

  • Social class

  • And the rewards of maintaining personal integrity.


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How do readers perceive Pamela's character?

Some readers consider Pamela as an example of virtue to follow, while others believe she is a hypocritical girl who used her virtue to seduce a man.

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Clarissa YEAR

1748

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What is the plot of Clarissa (1748)?

The novel is developed in letters between two ladies of virtue and two gentlemen of free lives, following the tragic story of Clarissa Harlowe, a virtuous and beautiful young woman from a wealthy family who is brought to tragedy by the wickedness of her world.

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What themes does Clarissa explore?

The novel explores themes of love, betrayal, virtue, and the role of women in society.

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What does Clarissa reflect about the individual and society?

The novel reflects the struggle of the individual against society and is deeply satirical of said society

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Henry Fielding (biography)

He was a journalist who was born of aristocratic descent. He attacked Sir Robert Walpole’s government with Tom Thumb: A tragedy.

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Joseph Andrews (1742)

 It is a parody of Richardson’s Pamela, defined by Fielding as a comic epic poem in prose. It portrays English life under the picaresque tradition, showing travel, adventures, and a great variety of characters.

Fielding’s story parallels the sexual assaults in Pamela; however, Joseph remains unmarried.

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Joseph Andrews YEAR

1742

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749)

It followed the same tradition as Joseph Andrews, although this novel was even more satirical. The writer intrudes in the narrative to give his opinion on men’s actions. It parallels the life of the high and the low classes, many critics consider this book a moral essay.

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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling YEAR

1749

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What does “the History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” parallels?

The life of the high and the low classes, many critics consider it a moral essay

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Jonathan Swift (biography)

Jonathan Swift was an Irish author, clergyman and satirist who grew up fatherless. He received a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College. Eventually he became dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. Most of his writings were published under pseudonyms. He is well-known for his book Gulliver’s travels (1726)