英国文学史及选读课件TheEighteenthCentury.pptVIP

 The Eighteenth Century (1688-1798) Menu Historical background Three Divisions of the 18th Century English Literature 1. Historical background: With the Glorious Revolution in 1688, the absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional monarchy. The power passed from the king gradually to the parliament and cabinet ministers. (the liberal Whigs and the conservative Tories.) The capitalist system was established once and for all in England. Socially The rising urban middle class or bourgeoisie brought the rapid development of social life. Economically Industrial Revolution: the beginning of larger-scale manufacturing Britain continued to expand its colonies abroad in Asia, Africa and North America. Ideologically Age of Enlightenment Under the influence of scientific discoveries(Newton) and flourishing of philosophies,French enlightenment started.  * Enlightenment: an intellectual movement in the 18th c. beginning in France and then spread throughout Europe. It was a continuation of Renaissance in belief in the possibility of human perfection through education. Rationality became standard for measurement of everything. The guiding principle or slogan is reason, natural right and equality. (American Independence War in 1776; French Revolution in 1789) 2.* Three Divisions of the 18th Century English Literature: For convenience, we study 18th c. British literature in three main divisions: 1) Neoclassicism 2) The modern novel 3) Pre-romantic poetry 1) *Neoclassicism Ancient classic works and contemporary French works were models of writing. Neoclassicists upheld the classic principles of rationality, morality, balance, unity, order, etc. Leading writers: Alexander Pope: - the highest authority in matters of literary art - made contributions to the theory and ractice of prosody (韵律) 2) The modern novel The mid-century witnessed the rising of a new literary genre --- the modern English novel