英美文学选读 第四讲The Neoclassical Period.ppt

Selected readings in English and American The Neoclassical Period Chapter 2 The Neoclassical Period ( 17th—18th Century, 1660~1798 ) 1. Background knowledge 2. Features of the neoclassical literature 1. Background knowledge 1) Historical and cultural backgrounds (1) The English society of the neoclassical period was a turbulent one. There was constant strife between the monarch君主 and the parliament议会 , between the Tories英国托利派；王党保守党 and the Whigs英国历史】辉格党(今自由党前身)党员 over the control of the parliament and government, between opposing religious sects宗教派别, between the ruling class and the laboring poor, etc. In short, it was an age full of conflicts and divergence分歧 of values. (2) The eighteenth century saw the fast development of Britain as a nation. Toward the middle of the century, Britain had become the first powerful capitalist country in the world. With the rapid economic growth, the population of the middle class also greatly expanded. Expansion of British colonies Enclosure: free labor and free capital Industrial Revolution (3) With the development of capitalism, the social and moral values of the middle-class people became dominant in the society. They believed in self-restraint, self-reliance and hard work. For them the whole meaning of life was to work, to economize and to accumulate wealth. (4) The Enlightenment Movement was in full swing in England during this period. The purpose of this movement was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason, equality and science, claiming that reason should be the only, and the final cause of any human thought and activities. (5) The enlighteners believed that when reason served as the yardstick for the measurement of all human activities and relations, every superstition, injustice and oppression was to yield place to eternal truth, eternal justice and natural equality. (6) The enlighteners advocated universal education. They be