1/137
Looks like no tags are added yet.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
---|
No study sessions yet.
In the 17th century, Great Britain experienced
significant developments that shaped its future as a leading European power
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
The British Army and the Acquisition of new colonies allowed Britain
to compete with other colonies countries like France.
Puritanism gained significant influence
leading to a religious revolution and the rise of nonconformists groups such as:
The Baptists
The Quakers
Which nonconformist groups rose with the religious revolution?
The Baptists and the Quakers
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
The social ladder consisted of
The Aristocracy
The gentry
The middleclass
The low-class
In the countryside the aristocrats and the gentry
owned an controlled most of the land.
The majority of the populations were
Peasants
Peasants
were engaged in agricultural labour and were controlled by Squires.
In 1700, England was predominantly
rural
By 1750, large towns
had begun to emerge
Initially, conditions in these towns were awful for instance
Facilities were smelly
Streets were narrow
There were no drainage systems
Consequences of awful conditions in towns
There were high disesases rates and only 25% of the population reached adulthood
Gradual improvements were made over time
Towns gradually became clean and tidy
which led to social conditions improvements
Aristocrats could earn around
100,000 pounds a year
Workers would not earn more than
15 pounds annually
Rich people lived in
Huge mansions
The poor found comfort in
drinking poor quality alcohol such as gin
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
The nobility and the middle classes
grew healthy through trade and exercised considerable power through Parliament to benefit the country and their own interests.
Landlords and the aristocracy made a great deal of money from
Farming
Slave trade
Coal mining
Iron-working
Example of trading
The British Trade Triangle
At the beginning of the 18th century, English villages
had common fields divided up into strips for individual farming.
By the mid-eighteenth century, technological advances
transformed these fields into large forms for scientific mixed farming, leading to the enclosure of common land
Some villagers had to depend on
The Poor Law
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.
In the mid-century (18th) the British population was about
Eight million
Eight million of the British population
still had no representation in Parliament
How many people had the right to vote?
250,000 people
Who did control Parliament through ‘rotten boroughs’?
Wealthy elites
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.
The Whigs
were afraid of an absolute monarchy. They evolved into the Liberal Party.
The Tories
were Royalist. They became the Conservative Party.
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.
On the death of Queen Anne,
George I ruler of Hannover was crowned.
George I ruler of Hannover
was not a popular king
After the Jacobite rebellions of Scots and English
Tory ‘Jacobite’ connections were unpopular and so the Whigs moved into government.
Who became the first ever Primer minister?
Robert Walpole, developing the idea of a cabinet.
During this century, the monarchy’s power was weakened as
Parliament became more authoritative, limiting the king’s power.
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”
Who is considered responsible for a trading war which lasted seven years?
W. Pitt, later Lord Gratham
What did the trade war give Britain?
It gave it control of parts of Canada and India.
Who ended the war of trade?
The recently crowned George III
As a result of ending the war of trade
George III was criticised and people began to organise themselves politically outside Parliament.
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.
What created the background for the Britain’s Industrial Revolution?
International power, trade, labour force, demand for goods and population growth
Why was the Industrial Revolution possible?
Because of the scientific developments, notably those of Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
He formulated laws of motion and law of universal gravitation.
Which innovation was crucial for the Industrial Revolution?
James Watt’s improvements to the steam engine were crucial for the Industrial Revolution.
In which century Britain became the richest and most powerful country in the world?
18th century
Who was commissioned to rebuild churches and St Paul’s Cathedral?
Sir Christopher Wren, an influential English arquitect
When was St Paul’s Cathedral destroyed?
In the great fire of 1666
Most of Sir Christopher Wren were finished before
the 18th century. St Paul’s Cathedral was his masterpiece.
St Paul’s Cathedral was his masterpiece, completed after _________ years of work
36
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.
One of the prominent painters of the period was
Sir Joshua Reynolds
The most representative writers were
Defoe, Swift, Richardson and Fielding, explained below, and pre-romantic artists like William Blake.
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.
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
Increased literacy
There was a larger audience for books: women and servants
Printing innovations and reductions in the cost of paper,
making books more accessible
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
A new emphasis on __________
Authenticity
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.
Defoe’s first important book was
Robinson Crusoe (1719)
Robinson Crusoe YEAR
1719
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.
t 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.
Robinson Crusoe main qualities are:
practical sense of life and financial aims.
The novel highlights Crusoe’s
resourcefulness, self-reliance and personal achievements.
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.
Moll Flanders YEAR
1722
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.
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.
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.
Moll flanders style
It is mainly journalistic, emphasizing:
Narrative realism
Extensive use of imagination
And a meticulous attention to detail.
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.
Samuel Richardson worked as __________ and prospered in his profession
a master printer
Samuel Richardson wrote three novels, all of them in
epistolary style
Richardson 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 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.
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.
Pamela YEAR
1740
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.
What themes does Pamela explore?
The novel explores:
Themes of virtue
Social class
And the rewards of maintaining personal integrity.
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.
Clarissa YEAR
1748
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.
What themes does Clarissa explore?
The novel explores themes of love, betrayal, virtue, and the role of women in society.
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
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.
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.
Joseph Andrews YEAR
1742
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.
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling YEAR
1749
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
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)