1. Unit IV The Age of Reason 1650- 1780
British Literature
Unit IV
The Age of Reason

2. Before the Age of Reason
Difference is most clearly seen in views about nature
Natural occurrences had been seen as direct interference of God with nature
Comets were warnings; plagues showed God’s wrath; witches ruined crops; fairies caused infant deaths

3. The Scientific Method
1687 Isaac Newton published Principia Mathematica
Began with analysis of facts
Developed explanation
Formulated mathematical explanation
Tested by experiment
Underlying assumption- nature is a system governed by laws, capable of being expressed mathematically

4. Effects of the New View Resolved old fears and anxieties
Yet created problems
Raised questions about religious assumptions
Other disciplines tried to achieve similar results, yet difficult to find scientific explanation for human nature or society

5. The Restoration
Age of Reason began with rejection of the Puritans and religious extremism
May 29, 1660, Charles Stuart (an exile in France) took the throne as Charles II
English people exhausted by 20 years of religious and political conflict
Restored the monarchy and the old church

6. Restoration Ended After 25 years, Charles II died.
James II was the next king, a Roman Catholic
English expelled James II in 1688
Parliament invited his daughter, and her Protestant husband, William of Orange, to rule
William and Mary ruled from 1689 to 1702

7. Queen Anne Mary’s sister, Queen Anne, ruled from 1702-1714
She died without an heir

8. King George Parliament invited George I from Germany to rule
Since George I could not speak English, Parliament ruled

9. A Writer’s Life Difficult during this time period
Could not yet make money through sale of books
Aristocratic patron supplied extra income
Literary fashion changed too
Prose and poetry became plain spoken, and more scientific

10. The Augustan Age
Writers of this time saw a parallel between the stability of their time, and the time of Rome under Caesar Augustus
Wrote epics, satires, elegies, and tragedies, just like the Romans had
Much is written from middle class point of view and directed against aristocrats

11. Growing Middle Class
Middle class, shop keepers, traders, merchants gained in numbers, power, and self confidence
New wealth allowed them to buy books
Writers turned from relying on aristocratic patrons to the open market
Middle class readers liked reading about people like themselves in novels