Diapositiva 1
by fdteacher
The beginning of the Modern Age
• From asbolutism to constitutional government
• The rise of the Puritan ethic:
▫ Individualism
▫ Personal responsibility
▫ Hard work
• Expansion: the Empire
The reasons for the quarrels between
the Stuart kings and the English
Parliament
The question as to who should hold the
control of power
according to the Stuarts the king was
above the law (a concept that derived
from the Canon Law)
according to Parliament, whose members
had gained self-confidence during the
Tudor period, especially with Henry VIII,
the king had to be subjected to the will
of Parliament (a concept that was in
harmony with the native tradition of the
English Common law)
The Stuart kings tried to avoid
summoning Parliament but were forced
to rely on it every time they needed
money because taxation could only be
authorised by Parliament. James
managed to do without Parliament and
rule with the support of a small circle of
favourites by staying away from war.
Charles I, instead, could not avoid
summoning Parliament which, far from
granting him the money he needed,
attempted to limit the power of the king.
This conflict resulted in the civil war and
the king’s execution in 1649.
The principle, held by the Stuarts, of the
Divine Right of the King, that is, the king
is the representative of God’s will on
earth. This idea conflicted with the one,
held by the Tudors, that the king had to
rely on the love of his subjects.
The Puritans
Man has an individual relationship with
God. therefore
refusal of all scholarly interpretation of
the Scriptures but stress on Man’s right
to read and interpret the Bible
The Calvinist theory of Predestination
Since all men were born sinners and
could only be saved by God’s grace, the
only way to redemption was through
hard work and discipline.
typical Puritan qualities: hardworking,
enterprising, active, industrious, strict,
severe
Poverty is a sin as a man’s duty is to
choose an honest, profitable profession
Everybody should try to improve their
social status as a sign of God’s salvation.
In order to lead a holy life, all
entertainment, leisure and amusements
were banned and considered a
corrupting influence
during the Commonwealth all theatres
were closed.
they did not plat any sports or games
they rigidly observed the rule of Sunday,
when it was forbidden to do anything,
including housework.
all forms of literature were regarded with
suspicion since they generally dealt with
what is untrue. Puritan writers tried to
solve the moral conflict by pretending
that they were writing “TRUE” stories
and endowing them with a moral aim.
(a reaction against the atmosphere of
strict morality that prevailed during the
Commonwealth was the extreme
immorality of the Restoration period,
probably the most “immoral” age in
British History.)
Austerity and simplicity in behaviour and
clothing
They were simple, dark clothes and cut
their hair short
They stressed the importance of the
family and of the father as a moral guide
inside it.
The father gave readings of the Bible
he expected obedience from children
who were subjected to moral pressure as
they were seen as potential agents of sin
Diapositiva 2
by fdteacher
The beginning of the Modern Age
• The development of science
▫ The Royal Society
▫ The experimental method
• A new philosophy in politics: government “by
contract”
▫ Thomas Hobbes and John Locke
• The origin of political parties
New scientific spirit
The Royal Society founded with the patronage of
King Charles II in 1662 in order to foster a
scientific approach to the study of reality, in line
with the spirit and the vitality of the Age.
science is not seen as a challenge to religion but
rather as a way to explain the order of a world
created by God.
a scientific method of enquiry based on empirical
observation of reality replaces a passive
acceptance of the authority of old theories
it helped to create
a materialistic/practical mind
a spirit of toleration in religious matters that
come to be seen as a question of private
conscience
reasonableness and common sense as typical
characteristics of a widespread way of thinking.
The origin of Political Parties
Period: reign of Charles II
prompted by:
fear that the monarchy might become too
powerful
fear of Charles’s interest in the Catholic Religion
WHIGS
TORIES
descendants of
Parliamentarians
Royalists
belonging to and representing the interests of
new middle class,
aristocracy, landed gentry
attitude to monarchy
did not believe in absolute power
supported the Crown
attitude to religion
wanted toleration for non conformists
supported the High Church
believed that
The Parliament has the right to remove the king
in the interests of the people
since the king rules for divine right, he cannot be
resisted by his subjects
Diapositiva 3
by fdteacher
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY
•
•
•
•
A new dynasty: the Stuarts
Conflict with Parliament
The Civil War: the execution of the king
The Commonwealth: Oliver Cromwell Lord
Protector
• The restoration and the return of the Stuarts
• A peaceful solution: the BLOODLESS REVOLUTION
Elisabeth dies 1603
The reasons for the quarrels between the Stuart
kings and the English Parliament
The question as to who should hold the control
of power
according to the Stuarts the king was above the
law (a concept that derived from the Canon Law)
according to Parliament, whose members had
gained self-confidence during the Tudor period,
especially with Henry VIII, the king had to be
subjected to the will of Parliament (a concept
that was in harmony with the native tradition of
the English Common law)
The Stuart kings tried to avoid summoning
Parliament but were forced to rely on it every
time they needed money because taxation could
only be authorised by Parliament. James
managed to do without Parliament and rule with
the support of a small circle of favourites by
staying away from war. Charles I, instead, could
not avoid summoning Parliament which, far from
granting him the money he needed, attempted to
limit the power of the king. This conflict resulted
in the civil war and the king’s execution in 1649.
The principle, held by the Stuarts, of the Divine
Right of the King, that is, the king is the
representative of God’s will on earth. This idea
conflicted with the one, held by the Tudors, that
the king had to rely on the love of his subjects.
Religious problems
three “factions” coexisted as a result of the
English Reformation
The Glorious Revolution
1688: William and Mary invited by Whigs and
Tories and offered the crown of England
it represented a victory of the principle according
to which government is a contract in which the
king has to rely on the consent of the people
Parliament is more important than the king
The king in unable to raise taxes or keep an army
without the consent of the Parliament
Important achievements during William and
Ann’s reign
extension of religious toleration for Dissenters
(not yet for the Catholics who are no longer
persecuted but are still seen as a threat after the
events of the Stuart period. They will obtain
emancipation in 1829)
economic progress and welfare
new countries come under British rule.
Diapositiva 4
by fdteacher
The Literary scene
• Metaphisical poetry
▫
▫
▫
▫
Against traditional view of love
Experimentation
Rich figurative unconventional language
Doubt and uncertainty
• Strong religious inspiration
▫ John Milton
▫ “to justify the ways of God to men”
Diapositiva 5
THE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY
by fdteacher
THE AGE OF THE NOVEL
Diapositiva 6
INTO THE NEW CENTURY
SOCIAL & POLITICAL BACKGROUND
•
•
•
•
•
ECONOMIC PROGRESS
FOUNDATION OF EMPIRE
DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE
POLITICAL THINKING
DEVELOPMENT OF PARLIAMENTARY
INSTITUTIONS
by fdteacher
Diapositiva 7
ECONOMIC PROGRESS
• NON PARTICIPATION IN
FOREIGN CONFLICTS
• POLICY FAVOURING TRADE,
FREE INITIATIVE LOW TAXES
COMPETITION
• AN OVERSEAS TRADE
EMPIRE
by fdteacher
Diapositiva 8
THE BRITISH EMPIRE
• TREATIES OF UTRECHT
▫ GIBRALTAR
monopoly of slave trade
▫ NEWFOUNDLAND/NOVA
SCOTIA/HUDSON’S BAY
• 7 YEARS’ WAR
▫ INDIA
▫ QUEBEC
▫ DAKAR
by fdteacher
The Treaties of Utrecht at the end of the
War of the Spanish succession ensured
control over Gibraltar and some
territories in North America.
From the former England acquired from
Spain the monopoly of the slave trade
with the Spanish colonies in South
America.
Obviously the English Empire also
included two countries nearer home,
namely Scotland and Ireland.
New countries came under British rule at
the end of the Seven Years War: the
greatest part of India, Quebec, which
allowed the British to exploit the fish, fur
and wood trade, Dakar in Africa, with the
slave trade and gum and in the West
Indies Guadeloupe, providing sugar.
Diapositiva 9
THE COLONIAL EMPIRE
MEDITERRANEAN
AUSTRALIA
WEST INDIES
AFRICA
INDIA
NORTH AMERICA
EUROPE
Diapositiva
10
by fdteacher
GIBRALTAR
MINORCA
JAMAICA
BARBADOS
DAKAR
BENGAL
QUEBEC
NEWFOUNDLAND
NOVA SCOTIA
13 COLONIES (1783)
IRELAND
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE
THE ROYAL SOCIETY
A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO REALITY:
EMPIRICISM
A MATERIALISTIC MIND
TOLERATION
COMMON SENSE
by fdteacher
Isaac Newton (1642’1727) showed that
the universe was ruled by mechanical
principles which were self-sufficient and
left little place for God. His treatise had a
great effect on eighteenth century
writers and contributed enormously to
destroy the traditional religious view of
the world which allowed God to
intervene directly in human affairs. He
made God subject ot the laws of science.
Newton was elected President of the
Royal Society (a body which had existed
unofficially since 1645 but received a
royal charter in 1662. It comprised a
group of educated men who met
regularly to discuss scientific and
philosophical matters. As a result, new
discoveries were made which religion
seemed unable to explain. Science
became the new authority and what
could not be proved by experiment and
reason was rejected.
God is simply the principle of creation,
the WATCHMAKER
Diapositiva
11
by fdteacher
THE POLITICAL SCENE
ROBERT WALPOLE
IN CHARGE FOR
OVER TWENTY
YEARS
NO REAL INTEREST
IN ENGLAND
GEORGE I-II
NON
DEMOCRATIC
ELECTIONS
GROWING
IMPORTANCE OF
CABINET & PM
Diapositiva
12
POLITICAL THINKING
JOHN LOCKE
GOVERNMENT BY CONTRACT
THE RULER MUST HAVE THE
CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE
by fdteacher
the policy of the whig g. was to favour
free initiative in colonial expansion and
trade
the whigs were in power for over twenty
years also due to the attempts of some
tories to bring back the Stuarts (two
Jacobite rebellions 1715-45)
Robert Walpole developed the idea of
the cabinet in which the members of the
government work together and are
together responsible for their policy
the power of the p increases but it is not
yet a democratic system as elections are
not secret and are controlled by the great
landowners
Compare Hobbes (1588-1678) he
supported absolute power and
maintained that the rule cannot be
divided between a king and Parliament .
He believed that the ruler of a state was
not responsible to the people but only to
God.
John Locke (i632-1704) argued that the
state must not interfere in religion, which
is a matter of private conscience.. He
spoke for a generation that had learned
that religious controversy could lead to
civil war.
Diapositiva
13
by fdteacher
The Population
upper class landed gentry
middle class -merchants, mine owners, bankers etc.
-artisans craftsmen working long hours for small
wages
The poor
affected by disease
high mortality, among children up to 51%
towns
people addicted to alcohol
unemployed
children employed as chimney sweepers
poverty worsened by beginning of
country
enclosures
loss of common fields
emigration
Diapositiva
14
THE RISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS
WHO WERE THEY
WEALTHY MERCHANTS/BANKERS/MINE
OWNERS
WHO DID THEY
SUPPORT
WHIGS AND ROBERT WALPOLE
WHAT WAS THEIR
AIM
ATTITUDE TO
POLITICS
SOCIAL MOBILITY
FREEDOM OF TRADE
COLONIAL EXPANSION
STABILITY
Diapositiva
15
by fdteacher
MAIN FEATURES OF THE AGE
• FAITH IN REASON
▫ EXPLAINS NATURAL LAWS
▫ LEADS TO
 ORDER
 SOCIAL PROGRESS
▫ CURES SOCIETY’S ILLS
▫ CONTROLS EMOTIONS
by fdteacher
Reason explains natural laws, leads to
social order and progress and is believed
to be able to cure society’s ills.
It must prevail over emotions, individual
feelings and passions. The stress is on
what is universal and general rather than
on what is personal and individual. The
essays of this period aim at describing
man as it should be “Essay on Man”
Diapositiva
16
MAIN FEATURES OF THE AGE
• REALISM
• STRESS ON UNIVERSAL /GENERAL
CLASSICAL
LITERATURE
SCIENTIFIC
WRITING
• INFLUENCE OF
CONTEMPORARY
FRENCH POETRY
by fdteacher
Diapositiva
17
THE LITERARY SCENE
The poets of this period drew inspiration
from the ancient literature of the great
classical age of emperor Augustus (Ovid,
Virgil, Horace)
by fdteacher
FIRST HALF 1700
THREE NAMES
AUGUSTAN AGE:
THE CLASSICAL
MODEL
Diapositiva
18
ENLIGHTENMENT:
THE PHILOSOPHICAL
CURRENT
AGE OF REASON:
THE MYTH OF THE
AGE
by fdteacher
MAIN LITERARY TRENDS
POETRY
• PROVIDING MODELS OF
BEHAVIOUR
• CULTIVATED UPPER CLASSES
• SOCIAL SATIRE
• MORAL ESSAY
PROSE
• ENTERTAINING INSTRUCTING
• MIDDLE CLASSES
• REALISM
• INDIVIDUALISM
Poetry was to provide models of refined
behaviour so it often had a satirical
purpose and tone.
Personal feelings were not voiced
because poetry should deal with what is
universal and general and not with what
is personal and individual
It should also celebrate reason and its
function in the worldNovels were realistic and supposed to
provide both entertainment and
instruction
They mirrored the new society and the
trust in man’s own ability
Diapositiva
19
by fdteacher
WHY THE NOVEL?
• INCREASE IN LITERACY
• EASE AND ENTERTAINMENT
• NOVELS APPEAL TO MIDDLE CLASS IDEALS AND
SENSIBILITIES
• REALISM
• MORAL/EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE
Diapositiva
20
by fdteacher
EXTENSION OF THE READING PUBLIC
• THE MIDDLE CLASSES
• INDOOR APPRENTICES AND
SERVANTS
• INCREASE IN FEMININE
COMPONENT
Diapositiva
21
WOMEN
• LOWER CLASSES
▫ BRUTAL LIFE
▫ PROSTITUTION
• MIDDLE RANKS
▫ NO UNIVERSITY
▫ NO PROFESSIONS
▫ TRIVIAL JOBS
• BEST CHANCE:
MARRIAGE
by fdteacher
The increase in social and political
importance of the middle class was
another important factor as the new class
both needed instruction and demanded a
literature written for them.
The increase in literacy was also
important even if by modern standards it
was still limited DUE TO WIDESPREAD
ILLITERACY.
The development of the novel was also
favoured by other factors:
The COPYRIGHT was introduced and it
prevented other people from publishing
the novelist’s work thus ensuring an
income for the writing profession and
putting an end to the system of
patronage. Writing could become a
profession in its own right.
Diapositiva
22
by fdteacher
THE RISE OF JOURNALISM
• 1695: ABOLITION OF
LICENSING ACT
• SPREAD OF PERIODOCALS
AND NEWSPAPERS
▫
▫
▫
▫
Diapositiva
23
POLITICAL SUBJECTS
GENERAL INTEREST
HISTORY
MANNERS
READING FACILITIES
• CIRCULATING
LIBRARIES
• SERIALISATION OF
NOVELS IN
PERIODICALS
• AVAILABILITY OF
NOVELS IN RICH
PEOPLE’S HOUSES
• COFFEE-HOUSES
by fdteacher
Diapositiva
24
by fdteacher
ORIGINS OF THE NOVEL
•
•
•
•
•
Diapositiva
25
JOURNALS/PERIODICALS
TRAVEL LITERATURE
AUTOBIOGRAPHIES
SATIRES
POPULAR TALES
HOW DOES A NOVEL DIFFER FROM OLDER
KINDS OF LITERATURE?
TREATMENT OF
•CHARACTERS
•TIME
•SPACE
•PLOT
by fdteacher
The early form of the novel was fictional
imitation of the diaries , autobiographies,
travellers’ tales, criminal tales. The
author was keen on their TRUTHFULNESS
as the novel was supposed to improve
those who read it.
Diapositiva
26
CHARACTERS
from
CONVENTIONAL TYPES
REPRESENTING
▫ MORAL VALUES
▫ HISTORICAL HEROS
to
REAL PEOPLE WITH NAME
AND SURNAME
by fdteacher
Diapositiva
27
TIME
from
TIMELESS STORIES
REPRESENTING
▫ UNCHANGING VERITIES
to
PRECISE TIME LIMITS
A NEW HISTORICAL OUTLOOK
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
by fdteacher
The character becomes the hero of the
narrative and the mouthpiece of the
author.
The reader is expected to sympathise
with him/her
The novel often shows the character’s
successful struggle for survival in a social
context
In previous literature characters
represented social types who either
didn’t have a specific connotation but
simply represented moral values and
attitudes or were historical or pseudohistorical heroes.
These features were reflected in the
names, which were generally allusive of
particular characteristics or were typenames but didn’t bring the character to
the status of a particular individual, set in
a particular social environment.
Novels introduced names and surnames
to indicate the fact that the character is
to be regarded as a particular person and
not a type.
Time in the tragedies was fixed in the
evolving period of a day.
Novelists set the time limits of their
stories and pa extreme attention to the
development of their characters in the
time process. An example of the
importance of the temporal dimension id
to be found in Richardson’s epistolary
novels, here each letter is dated very
precisely.
We are faced with a historical
outlook:PAST EVENTS ARE PRESENTED AS
THE CAUSE OF PRESENT ACTIONS.
Diapositiva
28
SPACE
from
VAGUE DESCRIPTIONS
to
DETAILS - SPECIFIC
REFERENCES
TO INCREASE REALISM
by fdteacher
Diapositiva
29
PLOT
from
THE PORTRAYAL OF
UNIVERSAL EXPERIENCES
to
THE BOURGEOIS MAN AND
HIS PROBLEMS
by fdteacher
Diapositiva
30
MAIN TYPES OF NOVEL
NOVELS AS
“GUIDES TO
BEHAVIOUR”
CHALLENGE TO
MIDDLE-CLASS
VAUES
NOVELS
SATISFYING TASTE
FOR ADVENTURE
DEFOE
RICHARDSON
FIELDING
SATIRE: SWIFT
AFTER 1750:
GOTHIC NOVELS
by fdteacher