The Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment – the great ‘Age of Reason’ – was a period of scientific, political and philosophical discourse that
characterised European society from the late 17th century to the ending of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Enlightenment
took place in Europe (with a strong emphasis on France)

This was a period of huge changes in thought and reason. Exploration, individualism, tolerance and science, the
developments in industry and politics, started the ‘modern world’.

The emergence of ‘reason’

It took place as a consequence of the English Civil Wars. Leading political thinkers began to think in a better society and
politics.

The ancient Greek and Roman civilisations were presented as models for the organization of modern society.

It was a scientific revolution with the rapid expansion of printing, the increasing levels of literacy, new discoveries, and
the empirical methods of discovering truth which was used to shed new light on nature and to challenge superstitions.

It was thought during the Enlightenment that human reasoning could discover truths about the world, religion, and
politics and could be used to improve the lives of humankind.

Enlightenment thinkers believed that the advances of science and industry would help the progress for humankind.
More goods were being produced for less money and people were traveling more. At the same time, many voices were
expressing sharp criticism of some cultural institutions. The Church, in particular. Many people practiced a variety of
Deism, which is a rejection of organized, doctrinal religion in favour of a more personal and spiritual kind of faith. For
the first time, the hegemony of political and religious leaders was weakened to the point that citizens had little to fear in
giving their opinions. Citizens began to see themselves on the same level as their leaders.

The coffee shop or café became the unofficial centre to read whatever literature was available, to engage in heated
conversation with neighbours, or to ponder the affairs of state.

One of the beneficial effects of the Industrial Revolution was a surge in the amount of reading material available to the
general public. Consequently, the cost of such material decreased to the point that literature was no longer the sole
purview of aristocrats and wealthy merchants. Then, citizens were able to get information, gossip, and entertainment.
Personal libraries were still expensive, but they were becoming more common.

There was a close connection between literature and science, politics and religion. For example, the birth of modern
science manifested itself in the way the writers and painters presented their arts. People wanted to read about the
fascinating universe around them.

The Literature of the Enlightenment was marked by this interest in the new world and the attention to scientific
progress. Travelling accounts and guides, reports, journals and factual descriptions dominated. The writers had liberty to
write texts with fictive elements and fantasies. But the public didn’t care as long as they were entertained by thrilling
descriptions of some unexplored and distant place with fantastic creatures and people. Monthly magazines appeared on
the literary scene with articles about new discoveries and inventions. Some writers of the Enlightenment would also
take an interest in the political agenda and criticise what they saw as immoral or uncivil practice. An effective method to
do so was the political satire, for example.

Daniel Dafoe

One of the main contributors to the English literature of the Enlightenment was Daniel Defoe. His novel, “Robinson
Crusoe” (1719) is considered the first English novel, and it is an example of how the writers of the era wanted to
enlighten and entertain people. The book is monumental in world literature, and nearly three centuries later is still
acclaimed by readers and critics.

Dafoe wrote stories about adventures, told in a first-person narrative where the protagonist had to fight the untamed
nature to survive. Reading about remote and undiscovered places was the entertainment that really went down well
with the audience of the early 18th century.
Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson published in 1755 his Dictionary of the English Language. It had 40,000 words and 116,000 quotations
illustrating their use. It took nine years for Johnson and his six paid assistants to complete it. Johnson’s Dictionary served
its readers as a word-book or lexicon as well as an encyclopaedia.

It wasn´t the first dictionary in existence, but it was unique and the most used until the appearance of the Oxford
English Dictionary in 1928. Johnson believed that the language of the people should be used in literature, and that a
writer should avoid using grammar and vocabulary that did not appeal to the common reader.

He differed from other contributors to enlightenment thinking in that he held strongly to religious explanations for
human action, whereas others of the enlightenment subscribed to natural science for their explanations of human
nature.

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What Is Romanticism in Literature?

Romanticism was a literary movement after French Revolution, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It emphasized
nature and the importance of emotion and artistic freedom. In many ways, writers of this era had radical and
revolutionary political ideologies, against the conservative mood of European society. In Romanticism, emotion is much
more powerful than rational thought.

Also, other transcendental events took place during this time: the abolition of slavery, the importance given to human
rights and the rise of new technologies.

What Are the Characteristics of Romanticism in Literature?

 Glorification of nature
Nature plays a huge role in Romantic literature. Romantic poets and writers give personal, deep descriptions of
nature and its wild and powerful qualities.

 Awareness and Acceptance of Emotions

A focus on emotion. When we read work of this period, we see feelings described in all forms, including
romantic and filial love, fear, sorrow, loneliness, and more.

 Celebration of Artistic Creativity and Imagination

In contrast to the previous generations’ focus on reason, writers of the Romantic movement explored the
importance of imagination and the creative impulse. Romantic poets and prose writers celebrated the power of
imagination and the creative process, as well as the artistic viewpoint. They believed that artists and writers
looked at the world differently, and they celebrated that vision in their work.

 Emphasis on Aesthetic Beauty

Romantic literature also explores the theme of aesthetic beauty, not just of nature but of people as well with
descriptions of female beauty. Writers praised women for their natural loveliness, rather than anything artificial.

 Themes of Solitude
Writers believed that creative inspiration came from the feeling of being alone.

 Focus on Exoticism and History

It has a focus on exotic locations and events or items from history. Poems and prose touch on antiques and the
gifts of ancient cultures around the world, and far-away locations provide the setting for some literary works of
this era.

 Spiritual and Supernatural Elements

 . They explored the contrast between life and death, mysteries of the supernatural. Many pieces have Gothic
motifs, such as old houses, dark and stormy nights, and more.

 Vivid Sensory Descriptions

The poems and prose of this period include examples of simile and metaphor, as well as visual imagery and
other sensory details. Poets and other writers gave the information readers need to feel and taste and touch the
objects and surroundings.

 Use of Personification
Romantic poets and prose writers also used personification in their work. You can see examples of
personification of everything from birds and animals to natural events or aspects, even feelings like love or
states like death.

 Focus on the Self and Autobiography

Many works of Romantic literature are deeply personal, autobiographical.

 Key Poetic Forms of Romanticism

Poetry of the Romantic era included odes, sonnets and lyrics.

William Wordsworth
- His works showed a relationship between Human and nature. He used vocabulary and speech patterns of
common people in poetry. Prose setting out ideas on justice and morality.

“Lyrical Ballads”

“The Prelude”

“The daffodils”

Jane Austen
she used several devices in her works, most notably irony, sarcasm, metaphor and symbolism.
her style was a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech, and a degree of realism. She uses
parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in sentimental and gothic novels.
She often created an ironic tone through free indirect speech in which the thoughts and words of the characters
mix with the voice of the narrator.

Austen's novels have often been characterised as "comedies of manners". Her novels had little narrative or
scenic description. Throughout Austen's work there is a tension between the claims of society and the claims of
the individual. Austen is often considered one of the originators of the modern novel character. Plenty of the
characterisation is done through speech. Almost every character in the novel gets to talk first and be summed
up by the narrator later.

Themes: Education and reading, Morality, Religion, Gender, Feminism, Economic position of women, Sexuality,
Politics, Role of colonialism, Property and class

 Sense and Sensibility

 Pride and Prejudice
 Mansfield Park
 Emma
 Northanger Abbey
 Persuasion