The Eighteenth Century
The Eighteenth Century Overview
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Overview
Before we launch into a discussion of this era, I think one of its chief writers, Alexander Pope, sums up the essential philosophy of this age best when he argues this, from “An Essay on Man” All nature is but art, unknown to thee; All chance, direction which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good . . . —Lines 289-292 from “An Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope
The age is called, among other things, the “Age of Enlightenment” — a rather self-flattering name, don’t you think? However, this really is an age that deserves to be a bit self-praising. It was an age devoted to science and scientific discovery (read more about the foundation of the Royal Society, an English academy devoted to the study of sciences, including particularly alchemy, the mother of modern chemistry — a topic pursued by Newton and Boyle, among others) and about the re-rediscovery of the classics, those works of ancient Greece and Rome. In the Middle Ages, and indeed in much of the Renaissance, the reason for things, the “why things are the way they are” were almost entirely dealt with as matters of religious faith. In the Age of Enlightenment, the profound enthusiasm and energy of this period largely comes from the belief that they were on the verge of understanding the science behind it all, the reasons why. It’s no surprise, then, that reason, natural law, and wit are qualities highly valued in this period.What we’ll see when we turn to the literature is a fascination with two things, both essentially scientific in nature. First, we’ll see a fascination with recording life as it is, a trend we’ll see in the development of the brand-new literary form called the “novel” and in the proliferation of journals, newspapers, diaries, letters, personal histories and people’s random observations of the life around them — what amounts, in fact, to eighteenth-century blogs. |
Background Reading
NOTE: Readings are mandatory unless specifically marked “Optional.” They are given to help you understand the course material. If you’re having a hard time understanding something, the optional materials can often be very helpful to you. If you have suggestions for optional material you would like to see on this page, please email me at [email protected] with your suggestions. |
Textbook Reading Assignments
Outline or take textual notes on all textbook information that you are asked to read. I will give occasional open-note quizzes, so taking notes will definitely help your understanding. Please note that all reading assignments, unless otherwise specified, refer to your text, The Language of Literature.
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Literature Readings
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Samuel Pepys, from The Diary of Samuel Pepys
Alexander Pope
Addison and Steele
Philip Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield
Jonathan Swift
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Discussion Questions
NOTE: Below are questions we will most likely be addressing in class. These are put here for your convenience and reflection. It would be helpful to you for you to review these questions and think about how you would answer them before we discuss these works together. |
Assorted Questions for Alexander Pope
For many scholars, Alexander Pope’s writing represents the epitome of 18th-century poetry. What are some signal features of Pope’s style that define the poetry of the Enlightenment?
Guided Reading Questions for "An Essay on Criticism"
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Possible Assessments and Assignments
Note: These are possible assignments and assessments that may be given during this unit. They are placed here for your convenience and review if you would like to see a typical assessment for this course. |
Prereading "An Essay on Criticism"
Before we read the selection from “An Essay on Criticism,” it is crucial that you understand Pope’s project here: of differentiating good from bad poetry, clichés from original thought, effective composition from ineffective. To that end, we will do two important pieces of groundwork:
What Makes it Bad? 1. Please find and write a short (3/4-page) analysis of a piece of writing you consider, personally, to be an example of bad writing. I don’t mean “bad” as in, “It’s about boats and I don’t really like boats, so I don’t want to read this; therefore, it must be bad,” or, “It’s by Milton and I didn’t understand a stinkin’ word of it, so it must be bad.” (If you don’t understand it, it may or may not be bad: you can’t tell! That’s like your mom condemning a swift-speaking rap artist because she can’t decipher the lyrics. Not fair, right?) No, what I’m talking about is literature that fails to persuade, fails to “sing,” fails to move. Characters don’t “feel real.” Dialogue doesn’t “sound real.” Situations don’t “feel real” even in the fictional sense where we’re willing to suspend disbelief.
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