Name: Made Ayu Mia Bernadetha Ardana Waisnawa

NPM: 202041121055
Class :B7

Introduction:
The Enlightenment period, also known as the Age of Reason, was a time of great intellectual and
cultural change in Europe and America. It was a time when people began to question traditional
authority and to seek new ways of understanding the world. This period saw the rise of new forms of
literature, including the novel, memoirs, and newspapers, which were produced not just for the
educated but for the literate by using the vernacular
. The Enlightenment also had a significant impact on literary criticism, as writers began to apply
reason and logic to the analysis of literature. In this paper, we will explore English literary criticism in
the period of Enlightenment, including its features, key writers, and major works.
Features of the Enlightenment period:
Focus on reason and rationality: The Enlightenment was characterized by a belief in the power of
reason and rationality to solve problems and improve society. This emphasis on reason led to a
rejection of traditional authority and a focus on individual freedom
Critique of religion: Enlightenment thinkers were critical of traditional religious beliefs and
institutions, which they saw as irrational and oppressive. They sought to replace religious authority
with reason and science
Emphasis on education: The Enlightenment saw a growing emphasis on education as a means of
improving society. Many Enlightenment thinkers believed that education was essential for creating a
more rational and enlightened society
Interest in science and technology: The Enlightenment was a time of great scientific and technological
progress, and many Enlightenment thinkers were interested in exploring the natural world through
observation and experimentation
key writers and major works:
Alexander Pope: Pope was a major figure in English literature during the Enlightenment period. His
works, including "An Essay on Criticism" and "The Rape of the Lock," were characterized by their
wit, satire, and emphasis on reason and rationality

Samuel Johnson: Johnson was a prominent literary critic during the Enlightenment period. His works,
including "The Rambler" and "The Idler," were known for their moral and ethical focus, as well as
their emphasis on the importance of education
David Hume: Hume was a Scottish philosopher and writer who was influential in the development of
Enlightenment thought. His works, including "A Treatise of Human Nature" and "An Enquiry
Concerning Human Understanding," were characterized by their skepticism and emphasis on reason
and empirical observation
Historical and Intellectual Background of English Literary Criticism in the Period of
Enlightenment:

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that took place during the eighteenth
century, particularly in the Western part of the world

It had a significant influence on the literary, artistic, and philosophical works of the time

The movement emphasized the use of reason to advance understanding of the universe and
improve human condition

Enlightenment thought was integral to the rise of liberalism and the ascendancy to power of
the bourgeois class through the French Revolution of 1789 and subsequent revolutions
throughout Europe

The Enlightenment challenged the authority of religion and government, becoming vocal
opponents of censorship and constraints on individual freedom and interference of the Church
in civil society

Enlightenment principles guided the founding of the colony of Georgi

. The movement viewed rationality as not absolute, and the ideas propagated and views held
by the pundits of the age were not uniformed but heterogeneous that included rationalism,
empiricism, humanism, etc.

The Enlightenment had its critics from the eighteenth century to today. Jean-Jacques
Rousseau had critiqued the philosophy for ignoring the importance of instincts and emotions.
David Hume, a well-known empiricist of his time, who realized the importance of reason had
said, “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any
other office than to serve and obey them”

The forms of poetry that were prominent during the Enlightenment period are sentimental
poetry, satire, and essay poems. Alexander Pope's 'An Essay on Man' (1733) is an example of
essay poems that offered philosophical and educational information in poetic form

. The Enlightenment writers challenged the authority of religion and government, and these
issues became the thematic concern for many writers during the Enlightenment, including
Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope, culminating in what is known as the Golden Age of
Satire (late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries)

The intellectual discussions of eighteenth-century Europe were situated in a global context,

and they were also received, appropriated, and indeed made globally. The history of
Enlightenment debates was a history of exchanges and entanglements, of translations and
quotations, and of the co-production of knowledge

In conclusion, the period of Enlightenment was a significant time in the history of English
literary criticism. It was a time of intellectual and cultural movement that emphasized reason
over superstition and science over blind faith. The movement challenged the authority of
religion and government, and its principles guided the founding of the colony of Georgia. The
Enlightenment had its critics, but its main streams continue to have a profound effect on our
world.

The emergence of ‘reason’

The Enlightenment was a period in Western Europe, England, and the American colonies that
took place throughout the eighteenth century. It was centered around the idea that reason is of
the utmost importance, and it is the primary authority when considering all other topics
the essential beliefs and convictions of Enlightenment thinkers were by and large committed
to writing, thus a fairly accurate sketch of the eighteenth-century mind is available to historians
working in this century
. During this period, writers created poetry, plays, satire, essays, and more. The novel was also
on the rise, resulting in books like Gulliver’s Travels and Robinson Crusoe
The Enlightenment had a significant impact on the literary, artistic, and philosophical works of
the time. It influenced our view of the artistic and philosophical world and had an impact on
the questions of politics, economics, and social issues of the time
The principles of the Enlightenment finally led to newer, rational attitudes toward banking,
investment, trade, and manufacture, and harboring profound
The Enlightenment also had its critics from the eighteenth century to today. Jean-Jacques
Rousseau had critiqued the philosophy for ignoring the importance of instincts and emotions.
David Hume, a well-known empiricist of his time, who realized the importance of reason had
said, “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any
other office than to serve and obey them”
The English Enlightenment and Early Romantic Criticism explored literary imitation and
imagination, which are themselves forms of criticism. The plain style was associated with
imitation, the figurative with imagination. There is an association between imitation,
imagination, and money based on the fact that they are all forms of representation. The central
value of the imagination is the poet's vision. The rise of the imagination carries another
consequence for criticism. Neoclassicism, taste, scholarship, and imagination are the four ways
of grounding literary value
In conclusion, the Enlightenment was a turning point in the history of Western Europe,
England, and the American colonies. It was centered around the idea that reason is of the utmost
importance, and it influenced the literary, artistic, and philosophical works of the time. The
principles set forth during the Enlightenment had consequences in the near term that very few
anticipated, and these would spell the end of the so-called Age of Reason

Scientific Revolution

The period of Enlightenment, which overlapped with the Scientific Revolution, was a time
when many philosophers and thinkers used the scientific method to explain life and challenged
the religious views of the day
The Scientific Revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries changed the way educated
people looked at the world, and it evolved into a new scientific approach that promoted critical
thinking and relied on reason
. This critical analysis of everything in society from religion to politics and the optimism that
the human mind could find the solution to everything was known as the Enlightenment
During this period, literature and science were intertwined, and many writers explored
scientific themes in their works
. The Enlightenment sparked the beginning of the scientific revolution, and the scientific
revolution helped shape the thoughts and ideas of the Enlightenment
The greatest figure of the Scientific Revolution was Sir Isaac Newton, an Englishman, whose
ideas were published in 1687 and defined the generation that came of age during the
Enlightenment
The legacy of the Scientific Revolution was science and the Enlightenment, which became both
the inheritor of this legacy and its most persistent and dogmatic trustee
The Enlightenment adopted, extended, and completed the intellectual and social project usually
characterized as the “Scientific Revolution”
The Enlightenment challenged the traditional authority of the church and the state, and it
promoted the idea of individualism, skepticism, and reason
In conclusion, the period of Enlightenment was a time when literature and science were
intertwined, and many writers explored scientific themes in their works. The Enlightenment
challenged the traditional authority of the church and the state, and it promoted the idea of
individualism, skepticism, and reason. The legacy of the Scientific Revolution was science and
the Enlightenment, which became both the inheritor of this legacy and its most persistent and
dogmatic trustee.

Secularisation and the impact on religion

Religion and personal faith were also subject to the tides of reason evident during the 18th
century. Personal judgements on matters of belief were actively debated during the period,
leading to scepticim, if not bold atheism, among an enlightened elite.
These new views on religion led to increasing fears among the clergy that the Enlightenment
was ungodly and thus harmful to the moral well-being of an increasingly secular society.
With church attendance in steady decline throughout the 1700s, evidence of increasing
agnosticism (the belief that true knowledge of God could never be fully gained) and a
rejection of some scriptural teachings was close at hand. Distinct anti-clericalism (the
criticism of church ministers and rejection of religious authority) also emerged in some
circles, whipped up by the musings of ‘deist’ writers such as Voltaire, who argued that God’s
influence on the world was minimal and revealed only by one’s own personal experience of
nature.

Political Freedoms, Contracts and rights

English literary criticism during the Enlightenment period was influenced by political
freedom, contracts, and rights. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that
dominated Europe during the 18th century, centered around the idea that reason is the
primary source of authority and legitimacy, and it advocated ideals such as liberty, progress,
tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state

. Enlightenment thinkers believed that rational reasoning could apply to all forms of human
activity, and they asked what was the proper relationship of the citizen to the monarch or the
state. They held that society existed as a contract between individuals and some larger
political entity

The ideas of the Enlightenment played a major role in inspiring the French Revolution, which
began in 1789 and emphasized the rights of common men as opposed to the exclusive rights
of the elites. The Enlightenment brought political modernization to the west, in terms of
focusing on democratic values and institutions and the creation of modern, liberal societies

. The Englishman-cum-revolutionary Thomas Paine wrote the famous pamphlet The Rights
of Man, decrying the abuses of the North American colonies by their English masters. In the
post-revolutionary years, a whole generation of American thinkers would found a new system
of government on liberal and republican principles, articulating their enduring ideas in
documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Federalist Papers, and the United
States Constitution

Literary criticism during the Enlightenment period was influenced by these political and
social changes. Enlightenment thinkers believed in natural rights, including the right to life,
liberty, and property, and they believed that these rights were not hereditary but rather were
based on a social contract between individuals and the state

. They also believed in the power of reason and rationality, and they applied these principles
to literary criticism. They believed that literature should be judged based on its ability to
convey truth and reason, and they criticized works that were seen as irrational or superstitious
In conclusion, English literary criticism during the Enlightenment period was influenced by
political freedom, contracts, and rights. Enlightenment thinkers believed in natural rights, the
power of reason, and the social contract between individuals and the state. These principles
were applied to literary criticism, which focused on the ability of literature to convey truth
and reason. The Enlightenment played a major role in inspiring the French Revolution and
the creation of modern, liberal societies.

Enlightenment Literary Criticism: Language, Taste, and Imagination

English literary criticism during the Enlightenment period was characterized by a focus on
language, taste, and imagination. The Enlightenment was a period that started in the 17th
century and ended in the early 19th century that placed an emphasis on reasonable thinking,
which influenced the literary, artistic, and philosophical works of the time

. During this period, many forms of literature were produced not just for the educated but for
the literate by using the vernacular. With the introduction of new literary forms, such as the
newspaper, memoirs, and especially the novel, literature was undergoing a vast change and
finding its way into the hands of many who didn't have access before

The Enlightenment movement was not uniform, but rather a heterogeneous collection of
ideas that included rationalism, empiricism, and humanism

. Enlightenment philosophy tended to stand in tension with established religion, insofar as the
release from self-incurred immaturity in this age, daring to think for oneself, awakening one's
intellectual powers, generally required opposing the role of established religion in directing
thought and action

The Enlightenment also had its critics, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who critiqued the
philosophy for ignoring the importance of instincts and emotions, and David Hume, who
realized the importance of reason but said, "Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the
passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them"

Examples of Enlightenment literature include Alexander Pope's "Essay on Criticism," which

was published in 1711 and is considered an essay in verse. The novel was also on the rise
during this period, resulting in books like "Gulliver's Travels" and "Robinson Crusoe”

In conclusion, English literary criticism during the Enlightenment period was characterized
by a focus on language, taste, and imagination. The period was marked by a heterogeneous
collection of ideas that included rationalism, empiricism, and humanism, and it had a
significant impact on the literary, artistic, and philosophical works of the time.

The end of the Enlightenment?

The Enlightenment period was a time of great change in literature, philosophy, and politics. It
was characterized by a focus on reason, individualism, and progress. During this period,
literary criticism underwent significant changes as well. Here are some key features of
English literary criticism during the Enlightenment period:

Focus on reason: Enlightenment thinkers believed that reason was the key to understanding
the world and improving human society. This emphasis on reason also influenced literary
criticism, which became more analytical and focused on the structure and meaning of literary
works.

Emphasis on individualism: The Enlightenment also emphasized the importance of the

individual and their ability to reason and make decisions for themselves. This led to a greater
appreciation for individual creativity and originality in literature.

Interest in progress: Enlightenment thinkers believed that human society could be improved
through the application of reason and scientific knowledge. This led to a focus on progress
and improvement in literature as well, with writers seeking to create works that were more
realistic, more insightful, and more socially relevant.

Critique of religion and tradition: Enlightenment thinkers were critical of traditional

institutions like the Church and the monarchy, which they saw as obstacles to progress and
reason. This critique of tradition also influenced literary criticism, which became more
skeptical of established literary forms and conventions.

As the Enlightenment period came to an end, literary criticism began to shift towards new
movements like Romanticism, which emphasized emotion, nature, and individual experience.
However, the legacy of the Enlightenment continued to influence literary criticism and
literature more broadly for many years to come.