British Literature
Jonathan Swift
Alexander Pope
Samuel Johnson
James Boswell Group 1
Olaudah Equiano 18th Century writers
Thomas Gray The Realists
Oliver Goldsmith
The Neoclassical Age
Basic Idea of the Realists:
They valued order, with systems and organizations.
(many examples of this in Gulliver’s Travels, when he would bow down to the king of lilyput mainly because he respects the hieriarchy, Swift is trying to show how ridiculous this is. Plus some other things…)
There was a hiearachy in that day
Royalty
Aristocracy
Landed Gentry- even within this class there was order. The oldest son would take the title- and professions were decided for you, i.e., people knew what to expect. Jobs such as clergymen, lawyers, army men, navy, etc.
Middle Class
Artisans
Working Class
There was a “Great Chain of Being” in which writers of the day believed the universe to be organized under
The Great Chain of Being: 1) God 2) Angels 3) Man 4) Animals 5) Plants
The Realists admired human beings power of reason. Humans are the only ones who have the power to reason (animals/plants do not have this ability, so revered man)
Often Writers of this day would address a moral issue affecting society during that time, such as:
Pride
Vanity
Greed
Examples: Soldiers never moved up in rank.
Society was run on a system of patronage(greed).
Jonathan Swift
Wanted to benefit from this system of Patronage
He was an enemy of the church/throne
Augustan Period-> Augustus Caesar was a patron of the arts
Swift was hoping that the king/queen would behave like Augustus Caesar
Alexander Pope Samuel Johnson
James Boswell Group 1
Olaudah Equiano 18th Century writers
Thomas Gray The Realists
Oliver Goldsmith
William Blake (pre-romantics)
Mary Wollstonecraft(pre-romantics)
Group 2
The Romantic Period
Valued Imagination more
Romatic postion:
Imagination>reason. Reason is to take things apart.
Afraid of losing
Alexander Pope
Samuel Johnson
James Boswell Group 1
Olaudah Equiano 18th Century writers
Thomas Gray The Realists
Oliver Goldsmith
The Neoclassical Age
Basic Idea of the Realists:
They valued order, with systems and organizations.
(many examples of this in Gulliver’s Travels, when he would bow down to the king of lilyput mainly because he respects the hieriarchy, Swift is trying to show how ridiculous this is. Plus some other things…)
There was a hiearachy in that day
Royalty
Aristocracy
Landed Gentry- even within this class there was order. The oldest son would take the title- and professions were decided for you, i.e., people knew what to expect. Jobs such as clergymen, lawyers, army men, navy, etc.
Middle Class
Artisans
Working Class
There was a “Great Chain of Being” in which writers of the day believed the universe to be organized under
The Great Chain of Being: 1) God 2) Angels 3) Man 4) Animals 5) Plants
The Realists admired human beings power of reason. Humans are the only ones who have the power to reason (animals/plants do not have this ability, so revered man)
Often Writers of this day would address a moral issue affecting society during that time, such as:
Pride
Vanity
Greed
Examples: Soldiers never moved up in rank.
Society was run on a system of patronage(greed).
Jonathan Swift
Wanted to benefit from this system of Patronage
He was an enemy of the church/throne
Augustan Period-> Augustus Caesar was a patron of the arts
Swift was hoping that the king/queen would behave like Augustus Caesar
Alexander Pope Samuel Johnson
James Boswell Group 1
Olaudah Equiano 18th Century writers
Thomas Gray The Realists
Oliver Goldsmith
William Blake (pre-romantics)
Mary Wollstonecraft(pre-romantics)
Group 2
The Romantic Period
Valued Imagination more
Romatic postion:
Imagination>reason. Reason is to take things apart.
Afraid of losing