18世纪英国文学特点分析.docx

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