1. Survey of English Literature 19 th & 20 th Centuries Scope of this course Romanticism Victorianism Modernism Review syllabus 18 th -century backgrounds to Romanticism

2. The 18 th -Century in a Nutshell Politics Socio-Economics Religion & Philosophy Literature

3. 18 th -Century Politics & Economics In America and France, what occurred in the late 18 th -century? War & violence Hierarchies toppled Shift away from land & agriculture- based economy Middle-classes gain importance

4. 18 th -Century England What happened in England at this time? Ever hear of the English Revolution? Hierarchies remained intact Without violence, order was maintained Political & economic conservatism

5. 18 th -Century Religion & Philosophy Religion after the Renaissance In England, religious diversity tolerated; conservatism still reigns Philosophy of Reason dominates Shift from Hobbes’ view of man (greed)to Rousseau’s view (goodness)

6. 18 th -Century also known as: Georgian Age (4 King Georges in a row!) Augustan Age Neoclassical Age Age of Reason: Descartes: “I think, therefore I am”

7. Reason, Order, Control, Submission Natural hierarchies God over Man Man over Animals Men over Women Aristocracy over Middle/Working classes Reason over Passion Imagination Appetites

8. 18 th -Century English Literature Reflected society’s conservatism Focus on man’s proper place Emphasis on didactic, philosophic poetry and essays Style: formal, regular, orderly

9. Alexander Pope: An Essay on Man A deeply philosophic poem, deals with: Life-Death, Man-God, Earth-Heaven Written for a very elite audience Didactic, i.e. educational Justifying the ways of God to man

10. Chain of Being (ll. 237-41) Why might this be appealing? Sin of Pride (ll. 123-30) Pride breeds chaos (ll. 241-46; 251-58) Pope’s advice: Submit (ll. 279-92) Beauty of the status quo

11. Samuel Johnson: Rasselas Another didactic work, this time fictional Age of Reason, imagination seen as enemy Solitude feeds imagination Imagination akin to madness “All power of fancy over reason is a degree of insanity.”

12. Romanticism & Revolution Romantic poets responded to 18 th -century rationalism Romantic poets were inspired by the revolutions in America & France Romantic poets saw themselves as applying revolutionary principles to literature