The ministry of higher and secondary special education of the republic of uzbekistan termez state university

Chapter II. The Enlightenment period English literature
2.1. Characteristics of Enlightenment literature
For much of the 18th century, a new way of thinking became increasingly common in both Western Europe and the American colonies of North America. Known as both the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment, this period was very different than earlier epochs of European history. Independent thought was embraced, skepticism ran freely through work, and new values, including an emphasis on science, became quite common among the educated classes. Not surprisingly, this Enlightenment found its way to the literary world as well. Let's review some characteristics of Enlightenment literature.The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason shaped philosophical, political and scientific discourse from the late 17th to the early 19th century. Matthew White traces the Enlightenment back to its roots in the aftermath of the Civil War, and forward to its effects on the present day.
The Enlightenment – the great ‘Age of Reason’ – is defined as the period of rigorous scientific, political and philosophical discourse that characterised European society during the ‘long’ 18th century: from the late 17th century to the ending of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. This was a period of huge change in thought and reason, which in the words of historian Roy Porter was ‘decisive in the making of modernity’. Centuries of custom and tradition were brushed aside in favour of exploration, individualism, tolerance and scientific endeavour, which, in tandem with developments in industry and politics, witnessed the emergence of the ‘modern world’. The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope. ‘The Rape of the Lock’ is one of Pope’s best-known works. It is a mock-heroic narrative poem that was written in order to make fun of the upper classes. It satirizes a small incident and compares it to the world of the gods. It was based on a real-life encounter that one of Pope’s friends had. He wrote the poem in an attempt to “merge” the social and heroic worlds.
The poem was incredibly popular, selling thousands of copies. Here are a few lines from Canto I: What dire offence from am’rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things, I sing—This verse to Caryl, Muse! is due: This, ev’n Belinda may vouchsafe to view: Slight is the subject, but not so the praise, If she inspire, and he approve my lays. During the 18th century, the poem was translated into French, German, and Italian, a marker of its success. It was later translated into numerous other languages, including Czech and Danish. Since its publication, it has been read in schools and universities, parodied by famous authors, and celebrated in various new forms and adaptions.
‘Paradise Lost’ was published in 1667 and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pieces of writing in the English language. It contains ten books and over ten thousand lines of verse. It tells the biblical story of the fall of Adam and Eve and the explosion of Satan from Heaven. [5.pp.8-12] The latter spends much of the poem trying to organize his followers in Hell or Tartarus. Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray This well-loved poem is an elegy written to mourn someone’s death. It was published in 1751 after the passing of Gray’s friend, Richard West. The poem is considered to be Gray’s masterpiece. In it, readers can explore imagery related to life and death and how the latter is unavoidable.
The Enlightenment was a turning point in the history of Western Europe, England, and the American colonies. Religious tolerance had a place in society it never had before, and scientific progress was respected and encouraged. Reason and rational thinking were also incredibly central to this period in a way they hadn’t been before. [6.pp.78-84] The Enlightenment was centered around the idea that reason is of the utmost importance. It is the primary authority when considering all other topics. The Enlightenment advocated for free-thinking, criticism, and tolerance. Enlightenment thinkers rejected constraints on scientific progress and on free speech. They also rejected absolutism or the idea that there was one specific answer that was not up for debate. John Locke, Charles Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were three of the most important Enlightenment thinkers. They developed theories about the government, religious tolerance, and more.
³It is interesting to see how different trends and eras of our cultural history emerge as reactions to the previous period. The Enlightenment came as a response to the cultural trend of classicism, and would later be succeeded by the Romantic Period, which again would pave the way for the period of Realism. There is also a close connection between culture and contemporary traits in society such as science, politics and religion. For example the birth of modern science during the late 16th and early 17th century manifested itself in the way the writers and painters presented their arts. Gone were the ideals and references to ancient Greece and Rome, the theatre was no longer fashionable; now people wanted to read about or be told facts about the fascinating universe around them. The 18th century was a busy period for travellers and seafarers, and people were curious about what was out there.
The French philosopher Rene Descartes died in 1650 and he left a legacy which would be carried on by a group of scholars who were called The French Encyclopaedists. This was the new trend – facts and figures categorized and sorted alphabetically. What was interesting was only what could be understood, explained, and proved. Scholars and intellectuals would argue that man’s capability to reason was the basis for his very existence. Man’s rationality was a gift from God; this was clearly argued by the philosophers, and even launched as a proof of God’s existence. But in general the religious view was only vaguely addressed as the spiritual aspect did not go along with the demand for scientific evidence. The two main contributors to the English literature of the Enlightenment were Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift. Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe” (1719) and Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” (1726) are both prominent examples of how the writers of the era endeavoured to enlighten people.
The two books are monumental in worl⁴d literature, and nearly three centuries later are still acclaimed by readers and critics.The 18th century was also a period of the development.. The expansion of the British Empire soon stretched from the colonies in North America to India and Australia. New companies were established (e.g. The East India Company and The Hudson Bay Company) to secure the shipping of raw materials for the mills in England during the first industrial revolution. Tea, cotton, timber, furs, spices brought huge profits for the companies, and the money was invested in new profitable enterprises. Both the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange were founded during this period. [7.pp.35-48] The colonies in North America won their independence in 1776 after their war of liberation from England, and the United States was born.
That same year James Cook set foot on a continent on the other side of the world, and Australia was on the map. The British navy was strong and seemed undefeatable. “Rule Britannia” was not just an empty slogan, Britain definitely ruled the waves. This British supremacy would increase and go on for another two centuries until the mid-20th
The Literature of the Enlightenment was marked by this interest in the new world and the attention to scientific progress. Travelling accounts and guides, reports, journals and factual descriptions dominated. The writers would often take a professional liberty to freshen up factual texts with fictive elements and fantasies. But the public didn’t care as long as they were entertained by thrilling descriptions of some unexplored and distant place with fantastic creatures and people. Monthly magazines appeared on the literary scene with articles about new discoveries and inventions. Some writers of the Enlightenment would also take an interest in the political agenda and criticise what they saw as immoral or uncivil practice. An effective method to do so was the political satire, of which Jonathan Swift was the master.