Transcript Restoration and the Eighteenth Century 1660-1800

Restoration and the
Eighteenth Century
1660-1800
The Age of Reason
The Age of Enlightenment
The Growth of the United States
People poured from England and
Europe to North America
 Freedom of Religion
 Ambition—money to be made in furs,
tobacco, logging for the building of
ships
 Transporting Africans for use as
slave labor.
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Europe Defeated and Exhausted
▪ By 1660 England was utterly
exhausted by 20 years of civil war.
 Great Plague—1665
 Last major outbreak of bubonic
plague
 Killed an estimated 100,000
people (20% of London’s
population)
▪ Great Fire of London—1666
 Uncontrolled fire that lasted for 3
days in central London
 Destroyed over 13,000 homes and
numerous government buildings
 Few deaths recorded
What is meant by Restoration?
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In 1660 the Anglican Church was restored
as the official Church of England and King
Charles II was restored to power (after
having been exiled to France, restoring
the monarchy.)
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The monarchy was restored without
shedding a drop of blood.
The Age of Reason and
Enlightenment
 People began to use scientific reasoning to
understand the world
 Apply reason so people could understand the natural
causes of events
 “Scientific Method” developed by Sir Isaac
Newton and is still used today to
 analyze facts
 develop a hypothesis
 test the hypothesis with experimentation
Enlightenment Philosophies
 Inspired by Newton’s discoveries
 John Locke
 Encouraged people to use their intelligence to
rid themselves of unjust authorities
 Rejected divine right of kings
 Asserted the rights of citizens to revolt against
unfair government
Living Well
 Development of smallpox vaccine
 Improvement in living conditions
 Wealthy aristocrats built lavish estates
with beautiful lawns & gardens
 Spacious new streets & squares in London
 Coffeehouses
 Gathering places for writers, artists, politicians
& other members of society
The Seven Groups of English
Society during this time
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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The Great, who live profusely
The Rich, who live very plentifully
The Middle Sort, who live well
The Working Trades, who labor hard, but feel
no want
The Country People, farmers, etc., who fare
indefferently
The Poor, that fare hard
The Miserable, that really pinch and suffer
want.
---Daniel Defoe
Industrial Revolution
 Period of major changes in agriculture,
manufacturing, mining, transport, and
technology
 Affected almost every aspect of daily life
 Income and population grew
 Living conditions differed greatly
Improvements in Industry
 Machine Operations
 Iron making techniques
 Introduction of canals along with
improved roads and railways
 Steam power fueled by coal
 Gas lighting
 Printing
 Chemicals
Changes in Religion
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The new science influenced religion: A
movement called Deism viewed the
universe as a perfect mechanism, which
God had build and left to run on its own.
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Christianity, but asking more and more
scientific questions
After the Restoration
Writers drew on “New Classical” style of
Roman, Greek, and Latin models
 Thinkers of this Age of Reason
emphasized logic, scientific observation,
factual explanation. These rational
explanations affected some people’s
religious views.
 Literary tastes turned to wit and satire to
expose excesses and moral corruption.
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After the Restoration
In journalism, the periodical essay developed,
commenting on public manners and values.
 To satisfy the reading tastes of a developing
middle class, writers began to experiment with
long fictional narratives called novels.
 Theaters closed by the Puritans reopened, and
female actors were now included on the stage;
drama during the Restoration period was witty,
bawdy, and cynical.
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The Age of Enlightenment
Origins in the scientific and intellectual
revolutions of the seventeenth century.
 Change and reason were both possible
and desirable for the sake of human
liberty.
 Provided a major source of ideas that
could be used to undermine existing
political and social patterns.
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Literature of the Times
 Social Observers
 Middle class grew and prospered
 Ordinary men & women had more money,
leisure activities, and educational
opportunities
 New audience willing to read and pay for
literature and who wanted it to be written in a
clear language that they could understand
Literature Evolving
 Types of literature that evolved
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Biographies
History
Philosophy
Politics
Economics
Natural History
 Poets began writing simpler, freer lyrics on
subjects close to the human heart which led to
the Romantic period
Satirical Voices
 Satire was used to point out aspects of society
that others felt needed to be changed
 Aimed at the elite class
 Alexander Pope—wrote poetry that poked fun at
ladies of high society
“The Rape of the Lock” — mock epic poem
 Jonathan Swift—savagely attacked educators,
politicians, churchmen & others that he saw as
corrupt
“A Modest Proposal”
Public Poetry
Poetry of the period was not private,
intimate, or spontaneous; rather it was
highly artificial and carefully crafted for
public occasions.
 Forms included: elegies for grand people,
satire, odes.
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The End of the Age
At the end of the century, as
industrialization mushroomed, writers
returned to nature and folk themes for
inspiration.
 The Romantic
era was born
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