Chapter-4--English-Literature-of-the-Eighteenth-Ce

2020/3/141Chapter4EnglishLiteratureoftheEighteenthCentury—TheAgeofEnlightenment1688-17982020/3/1421.Historicalbackground:Aftertheupheavalsofthe17thcentury,Englandenteredaperiodofacomparativelypeacefulage.Englandbecameaconstitutionalmonarchy(君主立宪制)andpowerpassedfromthekingtotheparliament,whichwasdividedintohostileparties:theliberalWhigsandtheconservativeTories,andthetwopartiesweresowellbalancedthatpowershiftedeasilyfromonetotheother.TheWhiggovernmentunderthePrimeMinisterRobertWalpole,whichwasnotoriousforitscorruptionandbribe-taking,reignedthecountryfromthe1720’stothe1740’s.Thecrownwasmoreorlessafigureheadandrealauthoritywasinthehandsofparliamentandofthecabinetresponsibletoparliament.2020/3/1431.1MajorEventsTheConstitutionalmonarchysetupbyparliamentin1688wasacompromisebetweenthebourgeoisieandthearistocrats.CapitalismwasfirmlyestablishedinEngland.Theculturallifehadundergoneremarkablechanges.Newton’sscientificdiscoveryandthephilosophyofJohnLockeaffectedpeople’sthinkingoftheworld.Reasonratherthansuperstitiondominated.EnglishliteraturewasinfluencedbyFrenchenlightenersandancientRomanwriters.Neo-classicismwastheleadingliterarytrendinearly18thcentury.2020/3/1441.2EnlightenmentOriginatedinFrance:tousecriticalreasontofreemindsfromprejudice,authority,oppression.Wecalltheeighteenthcenturytheageoftheenlightenmentbecauseitwasbothaculminationandanewbeginning.Freshcurrentsofthoughtwerewearingdowninstitutionalizedtraditions.Newideasandnewapproachestooldinstitutionsweresettingthestageforgreatrevolutionstocome.2020/3/145Themainfiguresoftheenlightenmentarefairlywellknown:Descartes,Pascal,Montesquieu,Voltaire,Diderot['di:dərəu],andRousseau['ru:səu].Therewereotherswhomwecouldcallantagoniststothedominantnote,peoplelikeRousseau,Wesley,Vico,andHume.Thepervasiveappeal,asexpressedbyVoltaire,wastothe1.2.1SocialMilieu1.autonomyofreason2.perfectibilityandprogress3.confidenceintheabilitytodiscovercausality4.principlesgoverningnature,manandsociety5.assaultonauthority6.cosmopolitansolidarityofenlightenedintellectuals7.disgustwithnationalism.2020/3/1471.TheEnlightenmenthaditsoriginsinthescientificandintellectualrevolutionsofthe17c.2.Enlightenmentthinkersfeltthatchangeandreasonwerebothpossibleanddesirableforthesakeofhumanliberty.3.Enlightenmentphilosophersprovidedamajorsourceofideasthatcouldbeusedtoundermineexistingsocialandpoliticalstructures.1.2.2MainCharacteristics:Inreligion:secular;Deism:theuniverseissetinmotionbyaGodasaself-regulatingmechanism;everythingwasoperatedaccordingtonaturallaws,whichcouldbeunderstoodbythehumanmind.Inartandliterature:neo-classicismgreatrespectfortheclassicalartists.Harmony,proportion,balanceandrestraintIneconomicthought:stateinferencedidviolatetothelawofnature;favoredlaissez-fairepolicies.2020/3/149A.rationalism--logicalreasoningbasedonfacts.B.cosmology--newworldviewbasedonNewtonianphysics--analysisofnaturalphenomenaassystems.C.Secularism世俗主义--applicationofscientifictheoriestoreligionandsociety.D.scientificmethod--experimentation;observation;hypothesis.E.Utilitarianism功利主义(Bentham边沁)--lawscreatedforthecommongoodandnotforspecialinterests.Thegreatestgoodforthegreatestnumber.F.optimism&self-confidence--anythingispossible(areversalofmedievalthinking).1.2.3TheMajorThemesoftheEra:2020/3/1410G.tolerance--agreateracceptanceofdifferentsocietiesandcultures.H.freedom--amindaswellasasocietyfreetothink,freefromprejudice.I.masseducation.J.legal/penalreforms--Beccaria,Bentham.K.constitutionalism.L.cosmopolitanism世界大同主义.2020/3/14112.ThreeStagesofthe18thCenturyEnglishLiterature:(1)1688---theendofthe1730s,neo-classicisminpoetryofAlexanderPope,anewproseliteratureintheessaysofAddisonandSteeleandinthefirstrealisticfictionofDefoeandSwift.(2)1740s-1750s,therealisticnovelsofRichardson,FieldingandSmollett,ofwhomthelasttwomaderatherfierceattacksontheexistingsocialconditionsbutstillmaintainedsufficientfaithintheeventualtriumphofvirtueoverviceandinthefinalattainmentsomehowofsocialjustice.(3)Thelastdecades,declineoftheEnlightenment,theappearanceofnewliterarytendenciesofsentimentalismandpre-romanticism.Gothicnovels2020/3/14122.1TheageofProseThebattleofwordsbetweenthetwopoliticalpartiescontributetotheflourishingofprose.Theageofenlightenment:Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation(萧条),prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.2020/3/1413ClassicismThe18thcisoftencalledtheAgeofReason.Orderwasimportantinmen’sthoughts.Thusprosecouldberegardedasabestwaytoexpresspeople’srationality.Definitionofclassicism:TheclassicistsmodeledthemselvesaftertheGreekandLatinauthors,andtriedtoguideliterarycreationbysomefixedlawsandrulescomingfromGreekLatinworks.Indramatheclassicistsrequiredofrhymedcoupletinsteadofblankverse,thethreeunites”三一律”oftime,placeandaction,andthepresentationoftypesratherthanindividuals.Poetryshouldbelyric,epic,didactic(训导),satiricordramatic,andeachtypeshouldbeguidedbyitsownprinciples.Proseshouldbeprecise,direct,smoothandflexible.2020/3/14142.2TheRisingofNovel1)IndustrialRevolution&themiddlecl