18世纪英国文学特点分析.docx
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18世纪英国文学特点分析.docx
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18世纪英国文学特点分析
TheLiteraryPrinciplesofthe18thCenturyEnglishLiterature
The18thcenturywasgenerallyconsideredas“theAgeofReason”.IntheperiodEnlightenmentprevailedinEnglandandmostEuropeancountries.Mostoftheliteraryworksputsignificantemphasisonthesocialorder,morality,justiceandfreedomofhumannature,whicharetheessenceofEnlightenment.Reason,whichEnlightenmentadvocated,wasthemostimportantmodefortheEnglishpeopleinthe18thcentury.ThemaintasksoftheEnlightenersweretocallfortheeliminationofthefeudalremnantsandreligiousignorance,andtopavethepathforthedevelopmentofthebourgeoisie.
The18thcenturywasofgreatsignificanceinEnglishhistory.Owingtotheenormousstridesinpoliticsandeconomy,theliteratureofthecenturyenteredtheperiodofprosperity.
1.HistoricalBackground
Inpolitics,the“GloriousRevolution”in1688madethesmoothtransitiontoaconstitutionalmonarchyinpeacecomeintorealization,andafterwardsCapitalismwasdefinitelyestablishedinBritain.Aftermanycenturiesofwarsandciviltrifles,the18thcenturysawaperiodfortheEnglishpeopletoenjoypeaceandtranquilityintheirsocialandpoliticallife.
ThepowerofthemonarchwasdeprivedandfellintothehandsoftheParliament,whichwasunderthecontroloftwomajorpoliticalparties,theWhigsandtheTories.EventhoughtheWhigswereforthedemocracyandtheTorieswerethesupportersoftheBritishmonarchy,thetwopartieshadnomuchdisputeineconomicdevelopmentandthepolicyofmoderation,whichensuredarelativelyspeedydevelopmentoftheEnglishsocietyineconomyandindemocracy.
TheActofUnionunitedEngland,ScotlandandWelshintoonecountry,whichlaidafoundationfortheriseoftheBritishEmpireinthemiddleofthe18thcentury.
Ineconomy,theinternationaltradingandthelucrativeslavetradebroughttremendouswealth.AlthoughalmostalltheEuropeancountrieshadbeenontheprocessofindustrialization,inEnglandthedevelopmentwasacceleratedwiththehelpofthenewinventionsandalarge-scaleEnclosureMovementalloverthecountry.Thesocialstatusofthenewlyrisingbourgeoisiewasgraduallysetupbytheboomofeconomyathomeandabroad.
However,thetimethecapitalistsaccumulatedtheenormousprofitswasthetimethousandsofpeasantswereexpropriatedoffthelandandthelaborworkerslosttheirjobs.Thegapbetweentherulingclassandtheoppressedwasaggravated.Thesocialcontradictionswereaccumulatedanddeteriorated.
Insociallife,economicdevelopmentalsobroughtchangesfortheEnglishpeople’swayoflife.Thepeoplebegantohavemoreenergytoparticipateinthesociallife.Suchplacesforthesocialactivitiesasthecoffeehouse,thetheatersandlibrariesgraduallythrived.Inthecoffeehouse,information,opinionsandevengossipsonvariousissueswereexchangedandthestyleofliteraturewasformedandinfluencedinthepublicway.
Theeconomicprosperityandtherisingofthebourgeoisclassproducedanewrequirementforanewsocialorderandrulestomeettheneedofthesocialdevelopmentinpoliticsandmorality,andtheneedofawaytoclearawaythefeudalremnants.Theliterarymenachievedtheaimbymeansoftheintroductionofthereason,morality,andequality.Thedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyboostedtheprocess.IsaacNewtonexertedgreatinfluenceuponEnlightenmentwithhislawofgravitation,whichsmashedthemedievalsuperstitiontothenaturalforces.
2.ThePrinciplesofLiterary
Itwasimpossibletomakeacleardistinctionofthedifferentliterarygenreswithsomanyfactorsmixedtogether.Roughly,theliteratureinthe18thcenturywasdividedintothreeperiods,fromthelateofthe17thcenturytothemiddleofthe18thcenturythepopularityoftheNeoclassicism,theearlytothemiddle18thcenturytherapidgrowthoftherealisticnovelsofDefoe,andtheoutstandingnovelistsFieldingandSmollett,andthelastdecadesoftheprevalenceofSentimentalismandtheappearanceofRomanticism.
Theliterarytrendofthiscenturycouldbesummarizedasthedevelopmentofpoetry,theprosperityofprose,theriseofnovelandthedeclineofdrama.
2.1EnlightenmentinLiterary
The18thcenturyisknownas“theAgeofEnlightenment”,whichisaprogressiveintellectualmovementasafurtheranceoftheRenaissanceofthe15thand16thcenturies.TheEnlightenmentleftalastingheritageforthe19thand20thcenturies.
Enlightenmentwasnotonlyacultureandthoughtmovement,buthasexertedhugeinfluenceonalmostalloftheaspectsoftheEnglishpeople’ssociallife.TheEnlightenerstookthetasktoenlightenthepeoplewiththemodernideasinphilosophy,politicsandarts.TheEnlightenersbelievedthattheuniversewasrationalandcouldbeunderstoodthroughReason.Truthcouldbegotthroughtheempiricalobservation.Andreasonwastheonlyyardsticktomeasureallhumanactivitiesandrelations.Onlyinthiswaycantheprimitivethoughtsandfeudalbehaviors,suchassuperstition,injustice,oppressionandreligiouspersecution,beeliminated.TheEnlightenersalsofoughtagainstthesocialhierarchysystemandcalledonthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology.
Besides,theypraisedhighlyforthefunctionofeducation.Theyheldthebeliefthattheuniversaleducationcouldbringaboutrationality,equalityandtruth.Theybelievedthatthehumanbeingscouldbemanipulatedliketheengineoncetheyacquiredthesecharacteristics.
Inessence,theEnlightenmentMovementwasthestruggleoftheprogressivebourgeoisieagainstFeudalism.Forthebourgeoisintellectuals,theReasonwastheweapontooverthrowthedominationofFeudalism.TheysoughtthefreedomofpoliticsandacademicthinkingtopavethewayfortheestablishmentoftheCapitalism.
Inbrief,theEnlightenmentmovementwastoenlightenoreducatethepeoplewiththemodernphilosophicalandartisticideas.Literatureatthetimeshowedthestrongcharacteristicsofdidacticismandmoralization.AmongthefamousEnlightenersinEngland,JohnDrydenandAlexanderPopewerethemostconspicuous.
2.2Neoclassicism
TheinfluenceoftheEnlightenmentMovementtotheEnglishliteratureofthe18thcenturywasfirstreflectedintheemergenceandpopularityoftheNeoclassicism.Neoclassicismwasaliteraturegenrethatcameintobeinginthemiddleandlateofthe17thcenturyinEnglandandFrance,andthrivedinthebeginningofthe18thcentury.JohnDryden,thoughdeadin1700,wasthefirstadvocatorandthemostimportantperformer.
AftertheRenaissance,areactioncameagainstintricacy,boldnessandextravagance.Intheperiod,theliteraturebroughtaboutarevivalofinterestintheoldClassicalworks.Thewritersgottheideasandartformsfromtheclassicaltimes.AsJohnDrydenstatedinhisEssayofDramaticPoesy,theNeoclassicistsdemandedthatliteratureshouldlearnfromtheClassicalworksoftheancientGreekandRomanwritersandalsotheircontemporaryFrenchwriters,suchasVoltaireandDiderot.TheNeoclassicistsadvocatedsimplicity,restraint,regularityandgoodsense.Theybelievedthataccuracyandwitsshouldbethemostimportantelementsintheartcreation.
TheNeoclassicistsformulatedfixedrulesandlawsguidedbyGreekandLatinworksforthegenresofliteraturetofollow.Theybelievedthattherewastheproperlanguagetochooseandtherightstyleandtonetousewhentheywrotedifferentliterature,whichwasthe“correctness”thattheypursued.Therefore,suchstandardsoftheClassicsasdrama,rhymeandgoodproportionwereadvocated.Undertheguideline,poetryshouldbelyric,epic,didactic,ordramatic,andproseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.
Meanwhile,theNeoclassicistsarguedthatliteratureshouldbejudgedbythefunctionofmoralizationandeducation.Therefore,mostoftheliteratureduringthatperiodwasdidacticsoastoformanewsocialorderandmoralitytomeettheneedsofthenewera.
What’smore,anotheraimoftheliteraturewastoentertainthereaders.Withtheboomofthepublishingindustryandtheincreaseoftheeducatedpopulation,newwaystoentertainthemass,especiallythepeopleofthemiddleclass,werecalledon.Theexpectationofthepeopletoparticipateinsocialactivitiesandexpresstheiremotionsgrewstronger.Hence,thesimple,elegantandrestraintwritingstylesgainedpopularity.
Furthermore,thewritingsofNeoclassicismsharedacommonfeature—objectivity.AstheneoclassicistsemphasizedReasonandthoughtthatartshouldbelogicallyorganized,neoclassicalartdidnotappreciatetheemotionorimagination,butlogic,goodorganizationandproportion.However,literatureunderthisguidelineseemedabitcoldandinhumane.TheabsenceofanyelementsofromanticandtheoveremphasisonReasonledtotheriseoftheoppositegenre—Romanticismintheperiodfollowed.
However,literatureatthatperiodwasnotsimplytheimitationoftheClassicsbutsomethingnewwasinjectedintoit.Dryden,theadvocatoroftheMovement,laidemphasisnotonlyonNeoclassicism,butalsoonthetraditionalEnglishliterature.HepraisedtheworksofShakespeare’sandChaucer’s,andencouragedthecombinationoftheclassicswiththenativeelementsofEnglandtomakethewritingstylenew.Dryden’stheorywasmodernandflexible,soitwaseasytobeacceptedandpromotedbyhisfollowersinthe18thcentury,suchasAlexanderPopeandSwift.TheideapromotedthepopularityoftheEnglishliterature,especiallythefirsthalfofthe18thcentury.
WiththeinfluenceofNeoclassicism,theprosewasdevelopeddramatically.Alotofprosewritersandnovelistsappeared,likeAddison,DanielDefoe,HenryFi
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