1660 – 1798

COMPILED BY MS. STEIGMAN’S FIRST HOUR

The Restoration and the 18th Century

Tradition and Reason

After years of tumult and upheaval, England settled happily into a time of peace, order, and prosperity. Behind the façade of tradition, however, was a radical new way of thinking – scientific, logical, “enlightened” – that would change the face of Britain. The monarchy had been restored, but in this era, reason ruled unchallenged.

KARA, AUSTIN, AND DYLAN

The Reign of Charles II

King Charles II

• Crowned in 1660 in front of 10,000 people.

• This began a new era in England: The Restoration.

The Sophisticated Society

• Named the Sophisticated era because King Charles II tried copying the lifestyles of the French.

• Held elaborate balls where they attended comedies of manners, just making fun of the royal court

Restoration Politics

First realized that monarchs have to share their power with the Parliament.

•The Great Plague took place in 1665. King Charles won over Parliament by standing strong during these tough times.•Two political parties: the Tories and the Whigs.•The Tories supported royal authority while the Whigs wanted to limit royal power.

A.J. , DWIGHT, AND BLAKE

Royalty & the People

Glorious Revolution- the triumph of parliamentary rule over the divine right of kings starting in 1688 when James’s daughter Mary and William of Orange took the throne.

After William’s death, Mary’s sister Anne took the throne. Under her rule Scotland united with England to form Great Britain.

In 1714 the crown passed to a distant cousin, the ruler of Hanover in Germany, George I.

He spoke no English and was viewed with contempt by many Tories. The Whigs, on the other hand, supported the new king.

The Whigs won the kings loyalty and Robert Walpole, head of the Whigs party, became Prime Minister. Held position till toward the end of George the II’s reign.

Toward the end of George II’s reign the next able Prime Minister, William Pitt, led the nation to victory over France in the Seven Years War. Resulted in Britain’s acquisition of French Canada.

George III sought a more active role in governing but because of an illness that affected his mind and his inability of working with others it led to many political blunders and, ultimately, to the loss of the American Colonies.

THOMAS, MARK, AND DIANTE

Social observers

Restoration and the 18th century were a stable time for Britain.

The middle class wanted writing that reflected their own concerns and experiences. They also wanted it written in prose.

One popular form of literature was journalism.Newspapers had been around since the early 1600s but

restrictions discouraged their growth. After the reigns of Cromwell and Charles I, the press prospered.

Some writers put articles in the paper in the form of novels, letters, or diaries.

Some of the famous writers were Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, and Samuel Pepys.

Satirical voices

This literary style was aimed at the elite class people. It was known as Neoclassicism and the writing was

modeled on ancient Greece and Rome.They often used satire, also known as ridicule, to

discuss issues that needed to be changed or fixed.Horatian satire – The gentle playful, and sympathetic

approach to satire. Juvenalian satire – The dark, biting approach to satire.Some writers were Alexander Pope (Horatian satire),

Jonathan Swift (Juvenalian satire, wrote Gulliver's Travels)

The Age of Johnson

This period is known as a tribute to Samuel Johnson.Britain's most influential man of letters.Works of biography, history, philosophy, politics,

economics, literary criticism, aesthetics, and natural history all achieved the level of literature.

Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a good example of the heights achieved by nonfiction prose during these years (the time that nonfiction became popular).

Johnson wrote A Dictionary of the English Language In this period of time writers strove for a style that was

clear, accurate, eloquent, and persuasive.

CHEYANNE, JESSE, BRIANNA, AND GENNY

The Scientific Method

During the late 1600s & 1700s, people began using scientific reasoning to understand the world instead of faith.

Sir Issac Newton set the tone for this era.Newton’s scientific method was very

important because it suggested the universe operated by logical principles that people could understand.

Enlightened Philosophies

Used logic to understand human nature i.e. predict economic trends and decide best form of government.

John Locke encouraged people to use their intelligence to rid themselves of unjust authorities.

Locke provided justification for the Glorious Revolution by asserting the right of citizens to revolt against an unfair government.

Living Well

The Enlightenment led to many improvements in living conditions.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu brought back from Turkey the idea of vaccinations that a scientist later developed for smallpox.

Writers, artists, and politicians gathered in London’s coffeehouses to exchange ideas, conduct business, and gossip.

Educated women held salons or private gatherings or they participated in the nations intellectual life.

NINA, GABRIELLE, AND VERONICA

The Rise of Women Writers

Upper class women were interested in exercising their reason and learning about the world

Unable to go to coffeehouses and universities, they decided to bring the activities into their own home in the form of a salon

Salon- a form of French-style gatheringsSalons quickly became a popular form of entertainment

taking the place of card games and were often attended by well known writers and public figures

Guest were invited to leave their silk stockings at home and come casually dressed

Bluestockings (intellectual women in general)

Famous bluestockings include: - Aphra Behn- first woman in England to earn a

living as a professional writer - Charlotte Smith- poetry turned into novels, more

lucrative, and attitude toward morality and her examination of class equality

- Fanny Burney- over sentimental and moralistic to modern readers

-Mary Wollstonecraft- she argued the women should be educated equally with men

-Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly- (daughter of MW) grew up to become one of the most enduring writers in the romantic period - author of Frankenstein

The Rise of Women Writers

Male writers had written novels aimed at female audiences, such as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela

Many women defied the norms by educating themselves, engaging in salon discussions and writing for publication

TIMMY, BRANDON & DEVIN

Satire in Art

• William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English artist who contributed to most of the mid 18th century British art society.

• William Hogarth turned his popular paintings into engravings, so that they could be sold cheaper.

• Before Hogarth, artists used their artwork to flatter nobles, by painting portraits of them.

Satire In Art

Hogarth was most famous for a painting of his named, “Modern Moral Subjects,” which was a series of lively, detailed scenes of how bad behavior leads to ruin.• In a second series known as

“Marriage a la Mode”, Hogarth depicts a downfall in marriage based upon greed and vanity, the title of the series was taken from John Dryden’s comedy of manners; Hogarth’s ideas of satire owed a great deal to the theater.

Mockery And Moralizing

Artistic Independence

Hogarth got a patent from parliament for artists so that other artists could not copy each others’ work.

British printmaking had a dramatic growth after the patent was passed.

Nonfiction in the 18th Century

ALEXIS HERRY, TYLER LOPEZ, BROOKE KUHN, COURTNEY PRICE

A New World of Ideas

Enlightenment- John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

Rethink aspects of society and beliefs and should explore new ideas

Nonfiction became favoredLiteracy increased in lower and middle

classesCopyright and fees emerged

The Development of the Essay

Essay- short nonfiction that is based off of the writer’s opinion on a specific subject

Michael de Montaigne wrote Essais meaning attempts

Example: Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Criticism

Informal essays- writer’s express opinions without a serious tone

Example: Joseph Addison’s The Spectator Formal essays- explore topic in a serious

organized mannerExample: Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of

the Rights of Woman

Other Forms of Nonfiction

They had published letters and diaries that provided personal details of everyday life at the time

Example: The Diary of Samuel Pepys – historical record of life of the time

Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs are other forms of nonfiction-biography: writer recounts events of another person’s life- autobiographies and memoirs: writers recall important events in their own lives

Example: The Life of Samuel Johnson

DANIEL LYNCH

The Legacy of the Era

Science & Society

During the Age of Reason the Scientific method was produced.

Science has failed to solve all our social problems.

The advancements of science have in fact created new problems.

Social Critics & The Novel

Satire ruled 18th centuryWit & Wisdom from the witty writers of that

age brought to us humorous points about contemporary political and social issues. (i.e. political cartoons)

This led to today’s columnists, cartoonists, comedians, and late night TV hosts.

The novel is the most significant literary legacy of this period.