The Age of Johnson

During the Age of Johnson, writers stopped following old ideas and started
exploring new ones. In America, Franklin, Jefferson, and Paine wrote during
the revolution. The Enlightenment brought thinkers challenging traditions,
advocating for reason, tolerance of different religions, and personal freedom.
Even though there were difficulties with things like slave trading, this period
helped society become more enlightened.

The rise of novel

Novels are long stories written in prose. They became popular in 18th century
Britain. Don Quixote by Cervantes was the first well-known novel in Europe.
Novels became popular when theater became less popular during the Puritan
era in England. The middle class, who were not interested in romantic stories,
started to like novels. Some novels focused on everyday life and criticizing
society, which is called realism. Writers like Richardson and Fielding wrote
realistic novels. During the Enlightenment period, scientific progress was
made and literature started using sophisticated language and avoiding too
much emotion.

Rationalism

During the Enlightenment, writers focused on using reason instead of

emotions and imagination. They created books and writings that aimed to
teach society about important social, political, and moral ideas. The thinkers
of the Enlightenment believed that using reason was very important for the
growth and progress of culture and economy.

Analytics

Enlightenment literature questioned the church's power, studied how people

behave in society, and discussed whether monarchies should have all the
power. Intellectuals emphasized that everyone should have the right to be
involved in politics.
Language and aesthetic

Enlightenment literature was written using fancy language that was refined
and cultured, avoiding exaggerating emotions. Reason was most important
and made fantastical stories less important. Writers such as Voltaire, Swift,
and Rousseau used sarcasm and parody to make fun of the middle class and
powerful groups.

Neoclassicism

During the Enlightenment period, Neoclassicism was a style of art that strictly
followed rules established by academic institutions. It prioritized academic
principles and often minimized the use of creativity and imagination.

The universal and didactic

During the 18th century, neoclassical literature focused on important ideas

that could be understood by everyone. It wanted to educate people rather
than entertain them. Félix María Samaniego's fables are a good example of
this.

Genre and Styles

In the 18th century, there was a literary movement called neoclassicism. It

included different types of writing like poetry, plays, and stories. Prose was
often used for writing essays. Poetry during this time was not very emotional,
and plays followed specific rules for the timing, location, and plot. It was not
permitted to combine sad and funny elements in plays according to the rules
set by academics.

Pre romanticism

Pre-romanticism was a time when people expressed their feelings and broke
away from traditional rules to have more creative freedom. The types of
stories and writing changed from teaching lessons to being more enjoyable
and fun. These new writings explored topics like love, feeling alone, and
feeling disappointed with life. Satire, which is when you make fun of
something to make a point, became really popular. An example of satire is
Jonathan Swift's work, where he used humor to talk about problems in society
and teach people about them.