(Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar
University)
Name :- chintavan n bhungani
Semester:- M.A SEM 1
Roll no:- 06
Paper
no:- 02
NEO CLASSICAL AGE
Enrollment no:- PG15101006
Email id:- cnbhungani7484@gmail.com
Bloge id:- chintavanbhungani201517.blog.spot.com
Topic:- Q.The history of the age/ background
reading of neo-classical literature and characteristics of Augustan age? ANS: - The eighteenth century in
English literature has been called the Augustan, the neoclassical age, and the
age of reason. The term ‘the Augustan
age’ comes from the self-conscious imitation of the original Augustan
writers, Virgil and Horace, by many of the writers of the period specifically Augustan
age was the period of the restoration era of the death of alexander pope(1690-1744) the major writers of the age were pope
and john Dryden forms the link
between restoration Augustan literature; all though he wrote ribald
comedies in the restoration vein his
verse satires were highly admired by the generation of the poets who followed
him, and his writings on literature were very much in neo-classical spirit but more than any other it is the name of
alexander pope which is associated with the epoch none as the Augustan age
despite the fact that the other writers such as Jonathan swifts and DanielDefoe
had a more lasting influence. This is partly a result of the politics of naming
inherent in literary history: many of the early forms of prose narrative common
at this time did not fit to a literary era which defines itself as
neo-classical.
v
History of
the period:-
The revolution of 1688, which
banished the last of the Stuart kings and called William of orange to the
throne, marks the end of the long struggle for political freedom In England.
Thereafter the Englishman spent his tremendous energy, which his forbears had
largely spent in fighting for freedom, in endless political discussions and in
efforts to improve his government. In order to bring about reforms, votes were
now necessary; and to get votes the people of England must be
Approached with ideas, facts,
arguments, information. So the newspaper was born,[182] and literature in its
widest sense, including the book, the newspaper, and the magazine, became the
chief instrument of a nation's progress.
·
Definition
Neoclassical literature was written between
1660 and 1798. This time period is broken down into three parts: the Restoration
period, the Augustan period, and the Age of Johnson.
Writers of the neoclassical period
tried to imitate the style of the Romans and Greeks. Thus the combination of
the terms 'neo,' which means 'new,' and 'classical,' as in the day of the Roman
and Greek classics. This was also the era of The Enlightenment, which
emphasized logic and reason. It was preceded by The Renaissance and followed by
the Romantic era. In fact, the neoclassical period ended in 1798 when
Wordsworth published the Romantic 'Lyrical Ballads'.
v
Social
development:-
The first half of the eighteenth
century is remarkable for the rapid social development in England. Hitherto men
had been more or less governed by the narrow, isolated standards of the middle
Ages, and when they differed they fell speedily to blows. Now for the first
time they set themselves to the task of learning the art of living together,
while still holding different opinions. In a single generation nearly two
thousand public coffeehouses, each a center of sociability, sprang up in London
alone, and the number of private clubs is quite as astonishing. [183] this new
social life had amarked effect in polishing men's words and manners. The
typical Londoner of Queen Anne's day was still rude, and a little vulgar in his
tastes; thecity was still very filthy, the streets unlighted and infested at
night by bands of rowdies and "Mohawks"; but outwardly men sought to
refine their manners according to prevailing standards; and to be elegant, to
have "good form," was a man's first duty, whether he entered society
or wrote literature. One can hardly read a book or poem of the age without
feeling
This superficial elegance.
Government still had its opposing Tory and Whig parties, and the Church was
divided into Catholics, Anglicans, and Dissenters; butthegrowing social life
offset many antagonisms, producing at least the outward impression of peace and
unity. Nearly every writer of the age busied himself with religion as well as
with party politics, the scientist Newton as sincerely as the churchman Barrow,
the philosophical Locke no less earnestly than the evangelical Wesley; but
nearly all tempered their zeal with moderation, and argued from reason and Scripture,
or used delicate satire upon their opponents, instead of denouncing them
asfollowers of Satan. There were exceptions, of course_; _ but the general
Tendency of the age was toward
toleration. Man had found himself in thelong struggle for personal liberty; now
he turned to the task of discovering his neighbor, of finding in Whig and Tory,
in Catholic and Protestant, in Anglican and Dissenter, the same general human
characteristics that he found in himself. This good work was helped, moreover,
by the spread of education and by the growth of the national
Sprit, following the victories of
Marlborough on the Continent. In the midst of heated argument it needed only a
word--Gibraltar, Blenheim, Ramillies, Malplaquet--or a poem of victory written
in a garret [184] to
Tell a patriotic people that under
their many differences they were all
Alike Englishmen.
v
‘Neoclassicism’
the work of Dryden, pope ,swift
Addison and Johangay, as well as many of their contemporaries, exhibit
qualities of order, clarity and stylistic decorum, that were formulated in the
major critical documents of the age: Dryden’s an essay of dramatic poesy(1668),
and pope’s essay on criticism(1711). These works, forming the basis for modern
English literary criticism, insist that ‘nature’ is the true model and standard
of writing. This ‘nature’ of Augustans, however, was not the wild, spiritual
nature of the romantic poet would later idealize, but nature as derived from
classical theory: a rational and comprehensible moral order in the universe,
demonstrating god’s providential design. The literary circle around pope
considered homer preeminent among ancient poets in his description of nature
and concluded in a circuitous feat of logic that the writer who ‘imitates’
homer is also describe nature. From this follows the rule inductively based on
the classical that pope articulate in his essay on criticism:
Characteristics
of Neoclassical Literature
Neoclassical literature is
characterized by order, accuracy, and structure. In direct opposition to
Renaissance attitudes, where man was seen as basically good, the neoclassical
writers portrayed man as inherently flawed. They emphasized restraint,
self-control, and common sense. This was a time when conservatism
flourished in both politics and literature.
Some
popular types of literature included:
- An Age of prose
- Essays
- Satire
- Letters
- Fables
- Melodrama, and
- Rhyming with
couplets
Ø An Age of prose:-
In every preceding age we have noted
especially the poetical works, which constitute, according to Matthew Arnold,
the glory of English literature. Now for the first time we must chronicle the
triumph of English prose. A multitude of practical interests arising from the
new social and political conditions demanded expression, not simply in books,
but more especially in pamphlets, magazines, and newspapers. Poetry was
inadequate for such a task; hence the development of prose, of the
"unfettered word," as Dante calls it,--a development which astonishes
us by its rapidity and excellence. The graceful elegance of Addison's essays,
the
Terse vigor of Swift's satires, the artistic finish
of Fielding's novels, the sonorous of Gibbon's history and of Burke's
orations,--these have no parallel in the poetry of the age. Indeed, poetry
itself became prosaic in this respect, that it was used not for creative works
of imagination, but for essays, for satire, for criticism,--for exactly the
same practical ends as was prose. The poetry of the first half of the century, as
typified in the work of Pope, is polished and witty enough, but artificial; it
lacks fire, fine feeling, and enthusiasm, the glow of the Elizabethan Age and
the moral earnestness of Puritanism. In a word, it interests us as a study of
life, rather than delights or inspires us by its appeal to the imagination. The
variety and excellence of prose works, and the development of a serviceable
prose style, which had been begun by
Dryden, until it served to
express clearly every human interest andEmotion,--these are the chief literary
glories of the eighteenth century.
Ø
Satire:-
In the literature of the preceding age we noted two
marked tendencies,--the tendency to realism in subject-matter, and the tendency
to polish and refinement of expression. Both these tendencies were continued in
the Augustan Age, and are seen clearly in the poetry of Pope, who brought the
couplet to perfection, and in the prose of Addison. A third tendency is shown
in the prevalence of satire, resulting from the unfortunate union of politics
with literature. We have already noted the power of the press in this age, and
the perpetual strife of political parties. Nearly every writer of the first
half of the century was used and rewarded by Whigs or
Tories for satirizing their enemies and for
advancing their special political interests. Pope was a marked exception, but
he nevertheless followed the prose writers in using satire too largely in his
poetry. Now satire--that is, a literary work which searches out the faults of
men or institutions in order to hold them up to ridicule--is at best a
destructive kind of criticism. A satirist is like a laborer who clears away the
ruins and rubbish of an old house before the architect and builders begin on a
new and beautiful structure. The work may sometimes be necessary, but it rarely
arouses our enthusiasm. While the satires of Pope, Swift, and Addison are
doubtless the best in our language, we hardly place them with our great
literature, which is always constructive in spirit; and we have the feeling
that all these men were capable of better things than they ever wrote.
Ø THE
CLASSIC AGE:-
The period we
are studying is known to us by various names. It is often called the Age of
Queen Anne; but, unlike Elizabeth, this "meekly stupid" queen had
practically no influence upon our literature. The name Classic Age is more often
heard; but in using it we should remember clearly these three different ways in
which the word "classic" is applied to literature: (1) the term
"classic" refers, in
General, to writers of the highest rank in any
nation. As used in our literature, it was first applied to the works of the
great Greek and Roman writers, like Homer and Virgil; and any English book
which followed the simple and noble method of these writers was said to have a
classic style. Later the term was enlarged to cover the great literary works of
other ancient nations; so that the Bible and the Avestas, as well as the Iliad
and the Adenoid, are called classics. (2) Every national literature has at
least one period in which an unusual number of great writers are producing Books
and this is called the classic period of a nation's literature. Thus the reign
of Augustus is the classic or golden age of Rome; the generation of Dante is
the classic age of Italian literature; the age of Louis XIV is the French
classic age; and the age of Queen Anne is often called the classic age of
England. (3) The word "classic" acquired an entirely different
meaning in the period we are studying; and we shall better understand this by
reference to the preceding ages. The Elizabethan writers were led by patriotism,
by enthusiasm, and, in general, by romantic emotions. They wrote in a natural
style, without regard to rules; and
Though they exaggerated and used too many words,
their works are delightful because of their vigor and freshness and fine
feeling. In the following age patriotism had largely disappeared from politics
and enthusiasm from literature.
Major
Writers: of neo-classical age
•
Alexander Pope:
His
works: •The pastorals’• Essay on man,
• Essay on criticism reflects his desire to rival Boil au’s art poetic. •The Rape of the Lock. ••• Steel and Addition: • The tattler in 1709
and the spectator in 1711.The spectator include representative of various
section of society. The work Addition reveals at once the charm of the old
England and the coming of the new
•
Jonathan swift:
Jonathan
swift
Jonathan
swift one of the best writer of the neo-classical age. An Excerpt from chapter
3 part 1 of Gulliver’s travels Gulliver’s travels Jonathan swift best fictional
works, contain four part each about one particular voyage during which Gulliver
has exeparticular
Adventures
on some remote are land after he has met with ship week or piracy. Gulliver’s
travels are also an artistic mast earpiece he fined that author of master of
prose. Jonathan swift on of best a mother of neo-classical age and he wrote so
many good novels.
Battle of the books• the first noteworthy
book published in 1704, It is about the dispute between ancient and modern
author. Swift gives the theme a half allegories mock heroic satire in which the
books in a liberty at length.
•
Dr. Johnson: The produced two
satire, London [1738] and The Vanity of
Human Wishes. [1749] “Irene” is
a tragedy in this work he observed the rules of French rhetorical tragedy.•“Rambler” and “Idler” are the results of
his own personal reflection on the life.
• Oliver Goldsmith
[1730- 74]
Traveler [1764] records his
impressions, as a Traveler on foot across the continent of France, Switzerland
and Italy and reflects agreeably on the character these various countries. In
1770 he published his “Deserted Village"
an idealization of the Irish Village of lessor in which his childhood was
passed.
v
Conclusion:-
So this is the neo-classical age highly influence to Jonathan
swift, alexander pope, olive goldsmith. And the age of classical, satire and
age of prose. So first the
first half of the eighteenth century is remarkable for the rapid social Development
in England. Important age for English literature.. The
middle and later stages of the
Eighteenth century shows a minor Renaissance that touched nearly
all Europe.Theincrease in wealth and comfort coincided with general uplifting
of the standard of the human intellect. In France particularly it was well
marked, and it took for its sign and seal thelabours of the Encyclopedists and
the social amenities of the older
salons. Many of the leading English writers,
including Gibbon, Hume, and Sterne, visited Paris, which was the hub of
European culture.
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