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Summary of English Literature: Neoclassicism and Romanticism
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English literatureThe Neo-classical period (1660-1798)
Neoclassicism
1660: the year of the restoration: the monarchy was reformed after the
king was sent off to France. Parliament/Cromwell had led the country for
some years after that. The king was asked to restore the monarchy. In
1660 the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (Oliver Cromwell as Lord
Protector) happened, so England oppressed the Irish Catholics. Poverty
and society addicted, e.g. the print of Gin Lane about consequences of
alcohol.
1798: Neoclassicism ends.
Other designations:
- Neoclassical period; renewed interests in the classics.
- The Augustan Age: Augustus’ reign was very good; they had the
expectation that the empire would blossom.
- Age of reason; focus on intellect, science and inventions as a
solution to the world’s problems. Rationalism with Decartes and
Spinoza and Empirism with Locke and Hume, sensory experience =
knowledge. Thinkers began to reject traditional ideals and began to
apply natural law and science to human behaviour and governance.
Rather than thinking that the position of king or church is the only
true position, perhaps there are alternative ways of living. This
eventually led to democracy.
Evolutions in neoclassical period
- Scientific revolution, people wanted to use their minds and
knowledge. (E.g. Newton). The English government heavily
subsidized inventors.
- In art there was a return of the classics, very serious approach.
- In architecture (e.g. palace of Versailles) there was a vision of an
architecture visible. The design is very structured and ordered. No
room for organic design.
- In politics, America released their declaration of independence. The
ratio and the laws of nature was important in the declaration.
List of characteristics of neoclassicism
- Order, structure
- Intellect
- Collective
- Progress
, Neoclassicist author: Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift is from Ireland; he was diplomat and lawmaker. He is
Anglican in religion, which is opposing the most of Ireland who are
catholic. He moved to London when he was 18 where he met an 8-year-old
girl named Esther Johnson. The two of them had an ambiguous
relationship for the rest of their lives.
He wrote satire as a genre and political pamphlets, e.g. Gulliver’s Travels.
Satire = shortcomings of individuals or institutions are ridiculed in order to
expose and criticise.
Steps:
1. Emulates reality
2. Exaggerates
3. Has a message
Gulliver’s travels by Jonathan Swift (1726, adapted 1735):
Prose satire and brilliant parody of travel literature and science fiction. The
protagonist is Lemuel Gulliver, a married surgeon with a passion for
traveling.
- Part 1: a Voyage to Lilliput. This part describes a shipwreck on the
island of Lilliput in habited by small people of only 6 inches high.
This satires on the English court, the political Parties,
religious quarrels and the wars between England and France.
- Part 2: a Voyage to Brobdingnag. It’s a country inhabited by giants.
This part satires the civilized governments of Europe. After
Gulliver’s boastful stories about the people and government of
Europa, the king of Brobdingnag views the English very
downgrading.
- Part 3: a voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi etc. part 3 describes the visit
of the Flying Island of Laputa and the continent of Balnibarbi. It is a
satire on the abuse of science, unpractical scholarship and
de absurd schemes of economists of Swift’s time. This part is
also read in the handout.
- Part 4: a Voyage to the Country of Houyhnhnms. This is a terrible
satire on mankind in general. The ruling class of this country is a
race of noble horses who are governed by Reason, Nature and Truth.
Also in this country, live Yahoos, who are disgusting ape-like
creatures, which show all the worst characteristics of man. Gulliver
grows more disillusioned with every voyage and starts to prefer the
company of his horses back in England over his wife and children.
, Fragment 1: part 3 a Voyage to Laputa
- Gulliver travelled to a grand academy. He described the big
academy of projectors, which promotes the craziest and most
impractical inventions.
- Steps satire: emulates reality (story feels like a real travel diary),
then he exaggerates. The message is that he highlights the danger
of valuing theory over practice by Royal Society of London and
expresses concerns about undesirable consequences of the Scientific
Revolution. He is against the subsidies given by the government of
England.
- First scientist: meagre, soot, long hair, ragged, burnt away, 8 years
upon a project (judgement). He works on extracting sunbeams
(zonnestralen) out of cucumbers.
- Second scientist: works on an operation to reduce human excrement
(poop) to its original food
- Third scientist: building houses, by beginning at the roof.
- Fourth scientist: works on a device of ploughing (ploegen) the
ground with hogs, to save the charges of ploughs, cattle and labour.
But you must plough the ground first to put food for the hogs in.
A modest proposal (for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland
form being a burden to their parents of country, and for making them
beneficial to the public) by Johnathan Swift (1729)
- Satire to strike back at those who neglected Irelands poor.
- Steps satire: emulates real proposed legislation (long sentences,
numbers, source of an expert). Exaggerating the proposal by eating
children. The message is that the criticises people who have many
children outside a stable marriage.
Advantages of his proposal on page 6:
- It would greatly lessen the number of Paptists (katholieken), who
have many children.
- Poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by
law may be made liable to distress.
- The nations stock will be thereby increased by fifty thousand pounds
per annum, so economic benefits because they don’t have to pay for
maintenance for children.
- The constant breeders, besides the gain of eight shillings sterling per
annum by the sale of their children, will be rid of the charge of
maintaining them after their first year. So, no more money to
maintenance after the first year.
- The food would likewise bring great custom to taverns
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