THE AUGUSTAN AGE Queen Anne (the last of The StuartS and the protestant daughter of James II ) The Hanoverians :George I, George II and George III

The AUGUSTAN AGE (the age of Reason- Enlightenment) The first half of the century was characterized by Imperial ideals ( Rome under Augustus was regarded as an example to imitate) The ruling class looked upon themselves as the true heirs of the Roman Empire with their overseas colonies. They had the old Roman virtues: fortitude, perseverance and self-control This Age saw the unification of GREAT BRITAIN and the great expansion of colonialism

It was a style of life reflected in literature Neo Classicism It was a style of life reflected in literature

Architecture Palladio became a model to imitate The countryside was dotted with Palladian villas, the cities adorned with terraces, squares and crescents Chiswick House, London

Inigo Jones the Banqueting House at Whitehall

The best example is BATH ( the Woods architects- father and son) wanted to rebuild it into a Roman city.

English Gardens, only apparently natural ( no more French and Italian gardens = regular model) they were carefully planned: lawns, forests and streams

The Glorious Revolution (1688) was a turning point: New balance between Monarchy and Parliament Newspapers sprang up ( the Tatler and The Spectator ) Journalism became the main means of information Coffee-Houses Methodism preached living by rule and method Respect for rights LIBERAL THOUGHT: free-will, salvation for all

Optimism: faith in progress, trust their own power Faith in REASON : facts based on their own experience, common sense and wisdom Toleration Education, through newspapers and magazines and circulating libraries . Literature considered the best way to educate Materialistic society: worldly, pragmatic , responsive to economic ventures Mercantilism grew and it brought money and prosperity but slums, violence, drunkenness, low standard of morality

As a consequence of Mercantilism : the rise of the Middle-class the need to be elegant and to improve their manners and language, to buy or borrow books and magazines ( especially women). They over-valuate money, social status, human values morality seemed to be only something related to the rules of good-manners

Middle class and Aristocracy No conflict, they joined their forces in commercial, agricultural and industrial ventures But different in their values: middle-class protestant , with a puritan morality, religious belief in work, importance of the family , in contrast with the aristocratic life- style

Marriage seen as a contract

Something started to change Changes inside the family characterized by the assertion of individual freedom- Arranged marriages gave place TO PERSONAL CHOICE Women , less tied to family duties, started their emancipation. Their presence in the reading public inspired new subject and a new note of sentimentalism. Samuel RICHARDSON is an example, in his novels we can find women looking for social and economic independence

LITERATURE POETRY DRAMA PROSE

PROSE It can be divided into 3 branches: Journalism Satire Novel

JOURNALISM The origin of it can be traced back to the 17th c. when manuscripts, newsletters and diaries started to circulate and when periodical pamphlets “ CORANTOS” and “WEEKLY NEWS” began to be published. In 1665 the pamphlets form was replaced by the “folio” with the first issue of the “OXFORD GAZETTE” later called “LONDON GAZETTE”

In 1694 the abolition of the CENSORSHIP led to an improvement in Journalistic style, the freedom of the press induced many writers to write for newspapers The first important periodical “ THE REVIEW” was started by DANIEL DE FOE 1704, he wrote political articles . Then the “EXAMINER” by JONATHAN SWIFT

But the most important ones were “ THE TATLER” and “THE SPECTATOR” The Tatler started by Steel to give the middle class more entertaining information, not only news about politics but also other topics as fashion, gossips from the Coffee-houses. The Spectator replaced it - Steele and Addison turned the newspaper into an instrument of literary and moral propaganda.

ADDISON and STEEL’S INFLUENCE Great impulse to journalism increasing the number and quality of the reading public Essays teaching how to combine wit and humour with ethics They made the 18th c. novel possible: a taste for fiction, a common standard of taste The style was simple and conversational

THE RISE OF THE NOVEL The new word that characterizes the Novel is “ REALISM The traditional plot was rejected TIME : PAST EXPERIENCES ARE THE CAUSE OF PRESENT ACTIONS (developing in the stream of consciousness of the modern novel) In the new novel Character’s personal identity is changed by the flow of experience. A new type of hero, self-made, endowed with common sense and prudence ( the opposite of the heroic adventurous hero of the romances)

The characters are particular human types, acting in particular circumstances ( no more general human types). They struggle for survival or social success: people who believe in reason( Robinson Crusoe) people who can’t control their passions and subordinate reason to their cravings ( Moll Flanders). The early novelists named their characters to suggest that they were to be regarded as particular individuals in the contemporary social environment