English literature in the 18th century (enlightenment in england) General Background

ENGLISH LITERATURE IN THE 18TH CENTURY

(ENLIGHTENMENT IN ENGLAND)

General Background
The eighteenth-century philosophical impulse known as the Enlightenment rested on five general beliefs: the inevitability of progress; the perfectibility of man and his institutions; the efficacy of reason; the beneficence of God; and the plentitude and perfection of nature. It stressed the primacy of science over theology, skepticism over authority, reason over faith. The philosophers of the Enlightenment were convinced that it was within man’s capacity, by applying reason to his problems, to discover those great laws by which all human and natural activity could be explained. Possessing such knowledge, men could then direct their efforts toward building a society in which progress was certain and continuous. The temper of the Enlightenment was orderly, progressive, hopeful. In the eighteenth century England achieved, politically and economically the position of a great power in Europe. Eighteenth century England was distinguished also in science and philosophy. (Isaac Newton, David Hume, Adam Smith). The most active sections of population at that time were the commercial classes that are the middle classes.

The writers and philosophers of this age reflected the ideology of the middle class. They protested against the survival of feudalism. They thought that vice was due to ignorance, so they started a public movement for enlightening the people. The enlighteners wanted to bring knowledge that is “light” to the people. To their understanding this would do away with all the evils of society, and social harmony would be achieved. The English Enlightenment was a relatively conservative compromise of new and old ideas with current conditions. Since the enlighteners believed in the power of reason, the period was also called the Age of Reason.

The century had many other titles. It has been called the Age of Classicism, because many writers and poets of that time were fascinated by ancient Greece and Rome. It has been called the Age of Elegance, for the display of elegant style of life among the upper classes.

Eighteenth-century literature reflects the ideas and interests of the Age of Reason, the Age of Classicism, the Age of Elegance. Works show a sense of order and moderation; writers display their “wit”, or cleverness. Prose is calm and logical; poems are carefully structured.

In the eighteenth century the subjects of study to which man applied himself became more numerous and more systematic, and it was the good fortune of England that prose in that age had become a pliant and serviceable medium. It was a century full of speculation and fierce questioning, a century with powerful minds that applied themselves to the problems of the nature of life, and set out solutions, which have been the basis of much later thought. It was a century, above all others, when England led Europe in philosophical speculation. The centre of interest was human experience, and what could be learned from it of the nature of life. Richardson and Fielding explored human experience in fiction. Historians were attempting, more ambitiously than before, to interpret the past of life, and philosophers to expound the nature of reality itself. It was natural that in such a century the orthodox teachings of the Church should be open to criticism. Writers widely accepted those literary forms, in particular, prose forms, which were understandable to the people as a whole. Manners, fashions, literature, stories, moral reflections, all took a turn as themes in brief papers, which were addressed consciously to a middle-class audience. The periodical essay was the eighteenth-century equivalent of the broadcast talk. Contact between writers and readers was established by famous English essayists Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. They started and directed several magazines for which they wrote pamphlets and essays. In 1709 Steele issued a magazine, “The Tatler”. It was followed by others: “The Spectator” (1711), “The Guardian” (1713), and “The Englishman”(1713). In the latter political problems were discussed. Periodical newspapers also helped to spread information among the general public.

Joseph Addison Richard Steele

(1672-1719) (1672-1729)