Chapter 4English Literature of theEighteenth Century.docx

Chapter 4English Literature of theEighteenth Century.docx

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Chapter4EnglishLiteratureoftheEighteenthCentury

Chapter4EnglishLiteratureoftheEighteenthCentury

—TheAgeofEnlightenment

1688-1798

1.Historicalbackground:

⏹Aftertheupheavalsofthe17thcentury,Englandenteredaperiodofacomparativelypeacefulage.Englandbecameaconstitutionalmonarchy（君主立宪制）andpowerpassedfromthekingtotheparliament,whichwasdividedintohostileparties:

theliberalWhigsandtheconservativeTories,andthetwopartiesweresowellbalancedthatpowershiftedeasilyfromonetotheother.TheWhiggovernmentunderthePrimeMinisterRobertWalpole,whichwasnotoriousforitscorruptionandbribe-taking,reignedthecountryfromthe1720’stothe1740’s.Thecrownwasmoreorlessafigureheadandrealauthoritywasinthehandsofparliamentandofthecabinetresponsibletoparliament.

1.1MajorEvents

⏹TheConstitutionalmonarchysetupbyparliamentin1688wasacompromisebetweenthebourgeoisieandthearistocrats.

⏹CapitalismwasfirmlyestablishedinEngland.

⏹Theculturallifehadundergoneremarkablechanges.

⏹Newton’sscientificdiscoveryandthephilosophyofJohnLockeaffectedpeople’sthinkingoftheworld.

⏹Reasonratherthansuperstitiondominated.

⏹EnglishliteraturewasinfluencedbyFrenchenlightenersandancientRomanwriters.Neo-classicismwastheleadingliterarytrendinearly18thcentury.

1.2Enlightenment

⏹OriginatedinFrance:

tousecriticalreasontofreemindsfromprejudice,authority,oppression.

⏹Wecalltheeighteenthcenturytheageoftheenlightenmentbecauseitwasbothaculminationandanewbeginning.Freshcurrentsofthoughtwerewearingdowninstitutionalizedtraditions.Newideasandnewapproachestooldinstitutionsweresettingthestageforgreatrevolutionstocome.

1.2.1SocialMilieu

⏹Themainfiguresoftheenlightenmentarefairlywellknown:

Descartes,Pascal,Montesquieu,Voltaire,Diderot['di:

dərəu],andRousseau['ru:

səu] .Therewereotherswhomwecouldcallantagoniststothedominantnote,peoplelikeRousseau,Wesley,Vico,andHume.Thepervasiveappeal,asexpressedbyVoltaire,wastothe

⏹1.autonomyofreason

⏹2.perfectibilityandprogress

⏹3.confidenceintheabilitytodiscovercausality

⏹4.principlesgoverningnature,manandsociety

⏹5.assaultonauthority

⏹6.cosmopolitansolidarityofenlightenedintellectuals

⏹7.disgustwithnationalism.

1.2.2MainCharacteristics:

⏹1.TheEnlightenmenthaditsoriginsinthescientificandintellectualrevolutionsofthe17c.

⏹2.Enlightenmentthinkersfeltthatchangeandreasonwerebothpossibleanddesirableforthe

    sakeofhumanliberty.

⏹3.Enlightenmentphilosophersprovidedamajorsourceofideasthatcouldbeusedtoundermineexistingsocialandpoliticalstructures.

⏹Inreligion:

secular;Deism:

theuniverseissetinmotionbyaGodasaself-regulatingmechanism;everythingwasoperatedaccordingtonaturallaws,whichcouldbeunderstoodbythehumanmind.

⏹Inartandliterature:

neo-classicismgreatrespectfortheclassicalartists.Harmony,proportion,balanceandrestraint

⏹Ineconomicthought:

stateinferencedidviolatetothelawofnature;favoredlaissez-fairepolicies.

1.2.3TheMajorThemesoftheEra:

A. rationalism-->logicalreasoningbasedonfacts.

B. cosmology-->newworldviewbasedonNewtonianphysics-->analysisofnaturalphenomenaassystems.

C. Secularism世俗主义-->applicationofscientifictheoriestoreligionandsociety.

D. scientificmethod-->experimentation; 

observation; hypothesis.

E. Utilitarianism功利主义（Bentham边沁）-->lawscreatedforthecommongoodandnotforspecialinterests.Thegreatestgoodforthegreatestnumber.

F. optimism&self-confidence-->anythingispossible（areversalofmedievalthinking）.

G. tolerance-->agreateracceptanceofdifferentsocietiesandcultures.

H. freedom-->amindaswellasasocietyfreetothink,freefromprejudice.

I. masseducation.

J. legal/penalreforms-->Beccaria,Bentham.

K. constitutionalism.

L. cosmopolitanism世界大同主义.

2.ThreeStagesofthe18thCenturyEnglishLiterature:

⏹

（1）1688---theendofthe1730s,neo-classicisminpoetryofAlexanderPope,anewproseliteratureintheessaysofAddisonandSteeleandinthefirstrealisticfictionofDefoeandSwift.

⏹

（2）1740s-1750s,therealisticnovelsofRichardson,FieldingandSmollett,ofwhomthelasttwomaderatherfierceattacksontheexistingsocialconditionsbutstillmaintainedsufficientfaithintheeventualtriumphofvirtueoverviceandinthefinalattainmentsomehowofsocialjustice.

⏹（3）Thelastdecades,declineoftheEnlightenment,theappearanceofnewliterarytendenciesofsentimentalismandpre-romanticism.Gothicnovels

2.1TheageofProse

⏹Thebattleofwordsbetweenthetwopoliticalpartiescontributetotheflourishingofprose.

⏹Theageofenlightenment:

Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation（萧条）,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.

Classicism

⏹The18thcisoftencalledtheAgeofReason.Orderwasimportantinmen’sthoughts.Thusprosecouldberegardedasabestwaytoexpresspeople’srationality.

⏹Definitionofclassicism:

TheclassicistsmodeledthemselvesaftertheGreekandLatinauthors,andtriedtoguideliterarycreationbysomefixedlawsandrulescomingfromGreekLatinworks.Indramatheclassicistsrequiredofrhymedcoupletinsteadofblankverse,thethreeunites”三一律”oftime,placeandaction,andthepresentationoftypesratherthanindividuals.Poetryshouldbelyric,epic,didactic（训导）,satiricordramatic,andeachtypeshouldbeguidedbyitsownprinciples.Proseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.

2.2TheRisingofNovel

⏹1）IndustrialRevolution&themiddleclass

⏹2）Theenrichmentofpersonalexperiences

A.thegreatgeographicdiscoveryandthegreatlongingtoexpand

B.InearlieragesthetypicalEnglishmanhadlivedmuchbyhimself;butinthefirsthalfofthe18thcsome3000publiccoffeehousesandalargenumberofprivateclubsappearedinLondonalone.Theinfluenceofthischangeofsociallifeonliteraturewasinevitable.Nearlyallwritersfrequentedthecoffeehouses,andthemattersdiscussedtherebecamesubjectsofliterature.

3）Thedevelopmentofthetechnologyofprintingfurthermeetsthematerialisticdemandofnovel’scomeintobeinganditslaterpopularity.

2.3Mainfigures

⏹AlexanderPope

⏹DanielDefoe（1661-1731）

RobinsonCrusoe

⏹JonathanSwift（1667-1745）

Gulliver’sTravels

⏹HenryFielding（1707-17540

TheHistoryofTomJones,aFoundling

⏹ThomasGray

ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard

⏹OliverGoldsmith

TheVicarofWakefield

⏹RichardBrinsleySheridan

TheSchoolforScandal

⏹WilliamBlake

SongofInnocence

SongofExperience

⏹RobertBurns

3.EnglishLiteratureinEarly18thcentury:

⏹AlexanderPope

⏹JosephAddisonandRichardSteele

⏹DanielDefoe

⏹JonathanSwift

3.1AlexanderPope（1688-1744）:

EssayonCriticism《批评论》

Popeassertsthatthechiefrequirementofagoodpoetisnaturalgeniuscoupledwithaknowledgeoftheclassicsandanunderstandingoftherulesofpoetry（literature）.

⏹Couplet:

consistsoftwolinesofverseformingadiscreteunitofmeaning.

⏹Heroiccouplet:

consistsoftwolinesofrhymediambicpentameter.

⏹Anappropriateformfortheclassicalrhetoricandlogicaldevelopmentoftheideas.

⏹真正的批评家的要诀是:

“追随自然、依自然原则判断,自然的合理准则永远不会变。

”自然代表宇宙间的秩序与理性。

3.2PeriodicalLiteratureinEarly18th-CentruyEngland:

AddisonandSteele

⏹TheTatler《闲谈者》:

editedchieflybySteele;outofthetotalof271numberspublishedoftheperiodical,Steelewrote188,andAddisononly42,whiletogethertheydid36others.

⏹TheSpectator《旁观者》:

adailyfromMar.1,1711toDec.6,1712,notincludingtherevivalofitbyAddisonalonein1714.Itisacollaborativeprojects.ThestyleismorematurethanthatofTheTatler.

⏹

3.3DanielDefoe:

1660-1731

Life:

⏹SonofJamesandMaryFoe,amerchantfamilycommittedtoPuritanism（Presbyterians）

⏹SoundeducationatMorton’sAcademy.OnlyAnglicanscouldgraduatefromOxfordorCambridge.

⏹1684:

MarriesMaryTuffley,anheiresswith3,700ayear.

⏹FoughtbrieflyintheDukeofMonmouth’srebellionagainstJamesII.

⏹Bankruptcyanddebtturnedhimtowardswriting.

⏹1701:

writes“TheTrueBornEnglishman”

⏹1703:

Pilloriedforwriting“TheShortestWaywithDissenters.”

Defoe’sLiteraryAchievements

⏹ApioneernovelistofEngland,aprolificwriterofbooksandpamphlets.

⏹Defoe’sversatility:

amerchant,economist,politician,journalist,pamphleteer,andanovelist.

⏹RobinsonCrusoe:

TheheroistypicaloftherisingEnglishbourgeoisclass,whohasthecourageandwilltofacehardshipsandingenuityanddeterminationtopreservehimselfandimproveonhislivelihoodbystrugglingagainstnature.DefoebeautifiescolonialismandNegroslavery.

⏹MollFlanders:

Itiswritteninanautobiographicalformcalledmemoir.Defoeintroduces,forthefirsttime,alowlywomanasthesubjectofliterature.

Defoe’sRobinsonCrusoe

⏹1719:

FirstvolumeofRobinsonCrusoe.Ahitwithlowerandmiddleclasses.

⏹BasedontheexperienceofthesailorAlexanderSeilkirk.

⏹1722:

MollFlanders.AnovelthatdrawsonhisownexperienceinNewgateprison.

RobinsonCrusoe:

1810edition

RobinsonCrusoe:

⏹Story:

⏹Style:

smooth,easy,colloquialandmostlyvernacular（方言）.

⏹Significance:

RobinsonCrusoeisherearealhero:

atypicaleighteenth-centuryEnglishmiddle-classman,withagreatcapacityforwork,inexhaustibleenergy,courage,patienceandpersistenceinovercomingobstacles,instrugglingagainstthehostilena