Lesson 9: Augustan Literature (Swift & Gray)

What happened during the Glorious Revolution (1688–89)?

King James II (Catholic) was removed and replaced by William of Orange (Protestant), establishing a constitutional monarchy.

What is the Enlightenment?

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and human progress.

What is empiricism?

The idea that knowledge comes from observation and experience.

What is humanism in the Enlightenment?

The belief in human value, agency, and potential.

What is the Augustan Age in literature?

A period inspired by classical antiquity, emphasizing order, reason, and clarity.

What characterizes 18th-century literary production?

• Rise of prose (novels, essays, journalism)

• Expansion of print culture

• Growth of satire

What is satire?

A literary form that uses humour and irony to criticize society and correct its flaws.

Who is Jonathan Swift?

An Anglo-Irish writer (1667–1745), educated at Trinity College Dublin, who became Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and was a major satirist and political writer.

Why is Swift important?

• Master of satire

• Critic of politics, religion, and human nature

• Key figure in 18th-century print culture

What is Swift’s view of humanity?

Humans are irrational, prideful, and morally flawed despite believing they are rational.

What is Gulliver’s Travels about?

A satirical travel narrative where Gulliver visits imaginary societies that reveal the flaws of human politics, reason, and behaviour.

Why is Gulliver’s Travels important?

It critiques Enlightenment ideas and exposes the absurdity of human society.

What happens in Lilliput (Part I)?

Gulliver arrives in a land of tiny people who appear civilised but are actually petty, political, and obsessed with trivial conflicts

What does Lilliput symbolize?

The small-mindedness of human politics and society.

What happens in Brobdingnag (Part II)?

Gulliver is tiny among giants; the king criticizes European society as violent and corrupt.

What is the main idea of Brobdingnag?

Reversal of perspective exposes human arrogance and moral weakness.

What happens in Laputa (Part III)?

Gulliver visits a society obsessed with abstract science and useless experiments.

What is the main idea of Laputa?

Critique of impractical science and blind faith in reason.

What happens in Houyhnhnms & Yahoos (Part IV)?

Rational horses rule over savage human-like creatures; Gulliver begins to hate humanity.

What is the main idea of Part IV?

Humans are reduced to irrational animals, questioning the idea of human superiority.

How is Gulliver introduced?

As an educated, practical surgeon with knowledge of navigation, languages, and science.

How do the Lilliputians react to Gulliver?

They fear him but also try to control him using weapons and organization.

What is Swift’s critique of reason?

Humans believe they are rational, but behave irrationally.

Who is Thomas Gray?

An English poet (1716–1771), educated at Eton and Cambridge, who lived a quiet scholarly life and wrote highly polished, melancholic poetry.

What influenced Gray’s poetry?

• Death of his friend Richard West

• Classical literature

• Personal isolation

Why is Gray important?

He bridges Neoclassicism and Romanticism, introducing emotion, nature, and focus on ordinary people.

What is the poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751) about?

A meditation in a graveyard reflecting on death, forgotten lives, and social inequality.

What happens in the opening of the poem?

The speaker describes the end of the day and a peaceful rural setting.

What is said about the dead villagers?

They lived simple lives and will no longer experience daily joys.

What is the poem’s critique of society?

The poor are forgotten not because they lacked talent, but because they lacked opportunity.

What is meant by “lost potential”?

The villagers could have been great figures (poets, leaders), but poverty prevented it.

What shift happens later in the poem?

The speaker imagines his own death and how he will be remembered.