The Neoclassical Period （18th century）
Definitions of literary terms
Definitions of literary terms
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1) The Enlightenment Movement
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
In England, neoclassicism is initiated by John Dryden, culminated in Alexander Pope and continued by Samuel Johnson. It was a reaction against the fire of passions that blazed in the later Renaissance. It found its literary artistic model in the classical literature of ancient Greek and Latin authors, such as Homer, Virgil, Horace. The neoclassicists have their artistic ideas: order, logic, symmetry, restraint, accuracy, good taste, good sense, decorum and so on. In drama, they follow the Three Unities closely.
In England, neoclassicism is initiated by John Dryden, culminated in Alexander Pope and continued by Samuel Johnson. It was a reaction against the fire of passions that blazed in the later Renaissance. It found its literary artistic model in the classical literature of ancient Greek and Latin authors, such as Homer, Virgil, Horace. The neoclassicists have their artistic ideas: order, logic, symmetry, restraint, accuracy, good taste, good sense, decorum and so on. In drama, they follow the Three Unities closely.
1、Richard Steele(1672-1729) and Joseph Addison(1672-1719)
The Tatler ; The Spectator (the earliest periodicals)
steele2、Samuel Johnson（1709-1784）
Samuel Johnson, commonly called Dr. Johnson, was one of the greatest figures of 18th-century English literature. He was the last great neoclassicist enlightener in the late 18th century. He had a hand in all the different branches of literary activities. He was a poet, dramatist, prose romancer, biographer, essayist, critic, lexicographer & publicist.
Samuel Johnson, commonly called Dr. Johnson, was one of the greatest figures of 18th-century English literature. He was the last great neoclassicist enlightener in the late 18th century. He had a hand in all the different branches of literary activities. He was a poet, dramatist, prose romancer, biographer, essayist, critic, lexicographer & publicist.
His major works :
poems: "London", & "The vanity of Human Wishes"
poems: "London", & "The vanity of Human Wishes"
a romance: The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia ;
a tragedy: Irene
hundreds of essays in the two periodicals :The Rambler & The Idler;
English dictionary :A Dictionary of the English Language
传记文学双星：Life of Johnson by James Boswell,The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Cleghon Gaskell
3、Alexander pope（1688-1744）poet
Pope is one of the fore-most satirists in world literature as well as a great poet. Pope's mock-heroic poem The Rape of the Lock is one of the finest examples of English comic verse. As a representative of the Enlightenment, Pope was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England. He was the greatest poet of his time.
Pope is one of the fore-most satirists in world literature as well as a great poet. Pope's mock-heroic poem The Rape of the Lock is one of the finest examples of English comic verse. As a representative of the Enlightenment, Pope was one of the first to introduce rationalism to England. He was the greatest poet of his time.
His major works
1). The Rape of the Lock
A delightful burlesque of epic poetry, it ridicules the manners of the English nobility. The poem is based on an actual incident in which a young nobleman stole a lock of a lady's hair.
2) An Essay on Criticism
His first important work, An Essay on Criticism was a long didactic poem in heroic couplets. In this work, he reflected the neo-classical spirit of the times by advocating good taste, common sense & the adherence to classical rules in writing & criticism. The whole poem is written in a plain style, hardly containing any imagery or eloquence &therefore makes easy reading.
3） The Dunciad
Generally considered Pope's best satiric work, The Dunciad goes deep in meaning & works at many levels. Its satire is directed at Dullness in general, & in the course of it all the literary men of the age. Poets mainly who had made Pope's enemies, are held up to ri
1). The Rape of the Lock
A delightful burlesque of epic poetry, it ridicules the manners of the English nobility. The poem is based on an actual incident in which a young nobleman stole a lock of a lady's hair.
2) An Essay on Criticism
His first important work, An Essay on Criticism was a long didactic poem in heroic couplets. In this work, he reflected the neo-classical spirit of the times by advocating good taste, common sense & the adherence to classical rules in writing & criticism. The whole poem is written in a plain style, hardly containing any imagery or eloquence &therefore makes easy reading.
3） The Dunciad
Generally considered Pope's best satiric work, The Dunciad goes deep in meaning & works at many levels. Its satire is directed at Dullness in general, & in the course of it all the literary men of the age. Poets mainly who had made Pope's enemies, are held up to ri
dicule. But the poem is not confined to personal attack. Dullness as reflected in the corruptness of government, social morals, education & even religion, is expertly exposed & satirized.
二、English Realistic Novel
The Realistic Novel:
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 George Smollett, & Oliver Goldsmith.
1、Daniel Defoe(1660-1731)
He acquired a pure naked English—smooth, easy, almost colloquial. Yet never coarse. He loved short, crisp, plain sentences. There is nothing artificial in his language; it is really common English.
作品：1）Pamphlet: The Trueborn Englishman—A Satire.(It contained a caustic exposure of the aristocracy and the tyranny of the church.)
2)Novels: Robinson Crusoe(The character of Robinson Crusoe is representative of the English bourgeoisie at the earlier stage of its development.); Captain Singleton; Moll Flanders; Colonel Jacque
2、Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
He is an Irish. Swift is one of the greatest masters of English prose. His language is simple, clear and vigorous. He said, “Proper words in proper places, makes the true definition of a style.” Swift is a master of satirist, and his irony is deadly. But his satire is masked by an outward gravity, and an apparent calmness conceals his bitter irony. This makes his satire all the more powerful, as shown in his Modest Proposal.
作品：1）Two stories: A Tale of a Tub; The Battle of the Books
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