The 18th Century

The 18th Century1. Social backgrounda. Party politicsParty politics became more significant throughout the century, with Whigs (who supported limited monarchy, and whose support tended to come from religious dissenters) and Tories (who favored strong monarchy and the religious status quo embodied in the Church of England) competing for power.b.The Industrial RevolutionIt was a gradual process of change from “cottage industries” to factory manufacturing.c.Overseas expansionBritain occupied a vast expansion of colonies in Asia, Africa and North America.2. Cultural Background1. Enlightenment Movement启蒙主义运动An intellectual movement that developed in Europe in the 17th century and reached its height in the 18th. The Enlightenment celebrated reason, equality, science and human beings’ ability to perfect themselves and their society. Charateristics of the Enlightenment1.Emphasis on reason rather than authorityMan’s mind, not God’s word2.Encouragement of scientific inquiryscience advances and faith recedes3.Belief in the perfectibility of Manas opposed to Puritans’ corrupt manIn religion, it was against superstition, and dogmatism教条主义; in politics, it was against tyranny; and in society, it was against prejudice, ignorance, inequality不平等, and any obstacles to the realization of an individual’s full intellectual and physical well-being. At the same time, they advocated universal education. In their opinion, human beings were limited, imperfect, and yet capable of rationality and perfection through education.They believed that when reason served as the yardstick准绳for the measurement of all human activities and relations, every superstition, injustice and oppression was to yield place to "eternal truth", eternal justice" and "natural equality".2. Cultural Progress1.More schools were set up throughout the country2.The appearance of such popular press as pamphlets and newspapers and periodicals3.The flourish of coffeehouses and all kinds of social clubsThree Periods of the 18th Century Literature1.The first period: from the glorious revolution of 1688 to the end of the 1730s’a.New-classicism in poetry (Alexander Pope)b.Essays of Addison and Steelc.Realistic fiction of Defoe and Swift2. The second and more critical period: from the 1740s to the 1750sa.Realistic novels of Richardson, Fielding and Smollett3. The third period: the last decades of the 18th centurya.Sentimentalism: in the poetry of Edward Young and Thomas Gray and in the novels of Laurence Stern and Oliver Goldsmithb.Pre-romanticism: in the poetry of William Blake and Robert BurnsSentimentalism: is a movement in the middle of the 18th century in England which concentrates on the distressed of the poor, unfortunate and virtuous people and demonstrates that effusive溢于言表的emotion was evidence of kindness and goodness. It reveals grief, pains and tears. The representatives are Laurence Sterne who wrote A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy(1768) and Oliver Goldsmith who wrote The Vicar of Wakefield (1766).It came into being as a result of a better discontent on the part of certain enlighteners in social reality.New-classicisma.It found its artistic models in the classical literature of the ancient Greek and Roman writers like Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid.b.A partial reaction against the fires of passion blazed in the late Renaissance, especially in the Metaphysical poetry.c.Prose should be precise, direct, smooth and flexible. Poetry should be lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic, and each class should be guided by its own principles.Augustan Age拉丁文学之黄金时代The term 'the Augustan Age' comes from the self-conscious imitation of the original Augustan writers, Virgil and Horace, by many of the writers of the period especially after the Restoration era to the death of Alexander Pope (1690 - 1744). The major writers of the age were Pope and John Dryden in poetry, and Jonathan Swift and Joseph Addison in prose.The Rise of the English NovelDefinition1,A novel is a prose work of some length, which tells a story, attempts rounded characterization, amuses, shocks andentertains the reader. In a narrow sense, a novel is a realistic fiction, complete in itself and contains the essential elements of story, character, and setting.Background for the rising of the English novel⏹The newly-arisen bourgeois class⏹The rapid growth of a large, middle-class readingpublicPurpose⏹To serve the rising bourgeois class.⏹To reflect the real life of the common people andexpress and praise the bourgeois ideas, values, andtheir heroic deeds in the development of the country. Elements of Fiction1. Theme⏹The controlling idea or the central insight.2. Plot and structure⏹The action in fiction, the arrangement of events thatmake up a story3. Character⏹Characters are imaginary people that writers create.⏹The major, or central, character of the plot is theprotagonist.⏹The opponent, the character against whom theprotagonist struggles or contends, is the antagonist.4. Setting⏹Setting is both the physical locale that frames theaction and the time of day or year, the climaticconditions, and the historical period during which theaction takes place.1) The Enlightenment Movement启蒙运动The 18th-century England is known as the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment Movement was a progressive intellectual movement which flourished in France & swept through the whole Western Europe at the time. The movement was a furtherance of the Renaissance of the 15th & 16th centuries. Its purpose was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modem philosophical & artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason or rationality, equality & science. They called for a reference to order, reason & rules & advocated universal education. Famous among the great enlighteners in England were those great writers like John Dryden, Alexander pope & so on.2) Neoclassicism新古典主义In the field of literature, the Enlightenment Movement brought about a revival of interest in the old classical works. This tendency is known as neoclassicism. According to the neoclassicists, all forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek & Roman writers (Homer, Virgil, & so on)& those of the contemporary French ones. They believed that the artistic ideals should be order, logic, restrained emotion & accuracy, & that literature should be judged in terms of its service to humanity. This belief led them to seek proportion, unity, harmony & grace in literary expressions, in an effort to delight, instruct & correct human beings, primarily as social animals. Thus, a polite, urbane, witty, & intellectual art developed.Characteristics of Neoclassical LiteratureAccording to the neoclassicists, all forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek & Roman writers (Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc,)& those of the contemporary French ones. Neoclassicists had some fixed laws &rules for almost every genre of literature, prose should be precise, direct, smooth & flexible. Poetry should be lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic, & each class should be guided by its own principles. Drama should be written in the Heroic Couplets (iambic pentameter rhymed in two lines); the three unities of time, space & action should be strictly observed; regularity in construction should be adhered to & type characters rather than individuals should be represented.4) the Realistic Novel现实主义的小说The mid-century was, however, predominated by a newly rising literary form, the modern English novel, which, contrary to the traditional romance of aristocrats, gives a realistic presentation of life of the common English people. This-the most significant phenomenon in the history of the development of English literature in the eighteenth century - is a natural product of the Industrial Revolution & a symbol of the growing importance & strength of the English of the growing importance & strength of the English middle class, Among the pioneers were Daniel Defoe ,Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Tobias Creorge Smollott, & Oliver Goldsmith.Characteristics of Neoclassical LiteratureAccording to the neoclassicists, all forms of literature were to be modeled after the classical works of the ancient Greek & Roman writers (Homer, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, etc,)& those of the contemporary French ones. Neoclassicists had some fixed laws &rules for almost every genre of literature, prose should be precise, direct, smooth & flexible. Poetry should be lyrical, epical, didactic, satiric or dramatic, & each class should be guided by its own principles. Drama should be written in the Heroic Couplets (iambic pentameter rhymed in two lines); the three unities of time, space & action should be strictly observed; regularity in construction should be adhered to & type characters rather than individuals should be represented.Daniel DefoeEnglish novelist & journalist, born in London, England, 1660, and died in London, Apr. 26,1731.Like Pope, he never went to university, but he received a good education in one of the best Dissenting academies. He started as a small merchant & all his life his business underwent many ups & downs & yet he was never beaten. Defoe also had a zest for politics. He wrote quite a number of pamphlets on the current political issues.His social viewAs a member of the middle class, Defoe spoke for & to the members of his class and his novels enjoyed great popularity among the less cultivated readers. In most of his works, he gave his praise to the hard-working, sturdy middle class & showed his sympathy for thedowntrodden, unfortunate poor.His major worksDefoe is generally considered the first great realistic novelist in English fiction. He based his stories on current events & materials, such as the maps & logs of actual sea voyages, personal memoirs& historical or eyewitness reports.Perhaps his most popular novel is Robinson Crusoe (1719), an adventure story based partly on the actual experience of a man who had been trapped on a deserted island. A Journal of the Plague Year (1722)大疫年日记, sometimes considered his best work, has such a colorful & detailed account of the London plague of 1664 & 1665 that it seems to have been written by an observer on the scene. Defoe's third masterpiece, Moll Flanders莫尔弗兰德斯(1722), is a lively novel tracing the adventures of a female rogue. Told in the form of "confessions", the narrative includes vivid descriptions of the courts, prisons, & other social institutions of Defoe's era.Characteristics of his worksDefoe was a very good story-teller. He had a gift for organizing minute details in such a vivid way that his stories could be both credible& fascinating. His sentences are sometimes short, crisp & plain, & sometimes long & rambling, which leave on the reader on impression of casual narration. His language is smooth, easy, colloquial & mostly vernacular. There is nothing artificial in his language: it is common English at its best.Robinso CrusoeRobinso CrusoeStoryBased on the experiences of Alexander Selkirk who once stayed alone on the uninhabited island Juan Fernandez for 5 years Major CharactersCrusoeFriday and his fatherSpanish sailorThemes of Robinson Crusoe1.Glorification of the imperialist dream:Robinson the prototype of the British Empire.2.Religious conversion:Robinson the pioneer colonist3.Tribute to hard work and self-reliance4.Western colonization to overcome wilderness, nature and uncivilized world5.Enterprising spirit of the new bourgeoisieSpecial Features1.Defoe is an anti-romantic, anti-feudal realistic writer.2.His stories are all real concerns of his time: people in their struggle to overcome the natural or social environment.3.Defoe adopts the autobiographical form and made full use of his long trained journalistic skill by describing things in great detail and by using specific time and space.4.He uses plain, smooth, easy, direct, and almost colloquial but never coarse language5.His sentences are long without strong pauses to give his style an urgent, immediate, breathless或扣人心弦的quality6.He stresses on actions or people in actions7.Not much plot or portrayal of characters。