England in 18th century

PLAN
The Enlightenment in England
The rise of English novel
-Daniel Defoe
-Samuel Richardson
-Walter Scott
-Jane Austen

THE ENLIGHTENMENT IN ENGLAND
European Enlightenment—the rise of reason
term”Enlightenment”: “the period of the 18th century in Europe when certain thinkers taught that science and the use of reason would improve the human condition.”
Many of the most characteristic elements of the Enlightenment originated in England, including Newtonian physics, John Locke’s approach to politics and epistemology, and limited monarchy

ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THAT TIME MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY THE FOLLOWING FEATURES
This period saw the rise of the political pamphlet and essay, but the leading genre of the Enlightenment became the novel.
The prose style became clear, graceful and polished.
Poetry gave way to the prose age of essayists and novelists.
The hero of this novel was no longer a prince, but a representative of the middle class.
Literature became very instructive; writers tried to teach their readers what was good and what was bad.

DANIEL DEFOE
In 1719, Daniel Defoe tried his hand at another kind of literature – fiction, and wrote the novel which brought him world-wide fame –”The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe”.
After the book had been published Defoe became famous and rich and was able to pay his creditors in full.
Now he wrote for four public magazines and received a regular sum of money from the government.

SAMUEL RICHARDSON
Pamela
Became a novelist thanks to his skill as a letter-writer.
His first novel is “Pamela or Virtue Rewarded” (1740).
His other most popular works are “Clarissa or History of Young Lady….” (1747-1748).
His last novel is “The History of Sir Charles Grandison” (1753).
Printed almost 500 different works, including magazines and journals.

WALTER SCOTT
His first novel was Waverley (1814) He also wrote novels of the Middle Ages, such as Ivanhoe (1819), which greatly influenced the common picture of the period as an age of
knightliness and chivalry