The Age of Reason

1660 – 1760

/записки/

Western Literature from about 1660-1760 was dominated by the impulse generally called Neoclassicism or Enlightment. This is the period on English Literature which is referd to in the most various ways.

The NeoclassicismThe Augustan AgeThe Age of DrydonThe Restoration Period (1660-1700)

Near to the relative calm and the more settled year that came after the various political and religious wars (?) The period cherished Order? and Society. The English began to think of themselves as Augustans living in time like that Caesar Augustus, Virgil, Horace after Augustus ended decades of Civil War in Rome and made civilized life and art possible.

- people restored the Classicism in new way.

Jonathan Swift

1607-1745

Gulliver’s Travels/записки/

In an age which so man as a rational creative achieving civilization by the calm excersice of common sense Swift was no exception. His exaltation in reason turns into anti-intelectualism which found it’s fullest expression in Gulliver’s Travels. The book lights much of it satire so cleverly that kids still read it as a fairy tail.The book: 4 parts.

1. Lilliputs

It starts by making fun of English society and kind: in country of Lilliputs Gulliver observes a shrunken human race with it’s shrunken concerns. Then with the giants he sees human deformities – magnify it. Then he goes to Houyhuhums (The Horse Race) with rational souls and the highest moral instincts.Here is the great contrast achieved by comparing the horses to the filthy base Yahoos who are actually human beings. That hatered has begun as a sore bitterness to human race which finally revealed itself as a mad disgust against mankind.

“He hated the animal Man, but loved Tom, Dick and Henry”

Daniel Defoe

1660-1731

The Beginning of the Novel

1. The formThe Novel in the period was regarded as a sub literary form which ranged lower type poetry. However the genre has sprung on literary scene and it had a lot to develop and it represented a form of prose narration and it wasn’t like the novel we know. *** (тука една дума не си разчитам) All works of the time were kinds of journals or biographies giving information about their characters, adventures and lives. It lacked the depth and intricacy of plot that are typical to modern novels.*Defoe’s most important innovation was his narrative re…. и до тук

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It was due to his practice in journalism where Defoe had rich experience. His plain, simple style could be witnessed in both his articles and novels. Of his most famous are: Robinzon Kruzoe, Moll Flanders and Roxana.He was a favorite to prince James. The intension was that they should be regarded as true not fictional and for that reason Defoe avoids fine writing. (?)Widely accepted as his best novel, (тука май става въпрос за Moll Flanders) Defoe depicts the individual’s struggle against society, though much concerned with plain reporting of most loss larcery (theff) is finally rounded up by the restoration of more to his husband and son and finally en…..има още един ред дето и да го разчета и да не го разчета все тая – пак нищо няма да се схване!

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