The Enlightenment and Romanticism Overview

The Enlightenment (18th Century)

• Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, learning, and societal progress.
• Also known as the Age of Reason and the Age of Improvement.
• Key characteristics: rationality, empiricism (knowledge from experience), deism (belief in a non-intervening Creator).
• Light symbolized knowledge and education.
• Key figures: philosophers Locke, Hume, and Smith; scientists Newton and Priestley; poets Pope and Swift; novelists Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding.
• Flourishing of journalism; coffee houses as discussion hubs.
• Satire, a dominant literary form, critiqued societal flaws.
• Examples of satirical works include A Modest Proposal by Swift and The Beggar's Opera by Gay.
• Rise of the novel, influenced by journalism, diaries, and travel accounts.
• Depicted realistic middle-class characters.
• Examples include Robinson Crusoe by Defoe and Pamela by Richardson.

Shift to Romanticism (Mid-18th Century)

• Reaction against Enlightenment rationality.
• A shift from light to imagination, emotion, and darkness.
• Influenced by Graveyard School poetry (focusing on mortality and the afterlife) and the Gothic novel (emphasizing mystery, terror, and the supernatural).
• Key figures: Thomas Gray, Robert Blair (Graveyard School); Horace Walpole, Ann Radcliffe (Gothic).

Romanticism (Late 18th–Early 19th Century)

• Reaction against Enlightenment rationalism.
• Emphasized emotion, individuality, nature, and the supernatural.
• Influenced by the French Revolution.
• Key figures & themes: Pre-Romanticism (William Blake, critiquing institutions and praising imagination); First-generation Romantic poets (Lake Poets - Wordsworth, Coleridge); Second-generation Romantics (Keats, Shelley, Byron).
• Major themes: Nature as a source of emotion and inspiration; supernatural elements in dreams, visions, nightmares; the human condition, including political, social, and economic critiques.
• Examples of Romantic works: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Coleridge), La Belle Dame Sans Merci (Keats).
• Genres include the historical novel (Walter Scott, Waverley), the novel of manners (Jane Austen, exploring social customs), and the Romantic Gothic novel (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein), incorporating dark settings and psychological depth.

The Victorian Era (19th Century)

• Historical background: Queen Victoria's reign, industrialization, urbanization, and British Empire expansion.
• Stratified society with rigid class divisions.
• Scientific and technological advancements (steam engine, railways, telegraph).
• Victorian morality emphasized discipline, modesty, and rigid gender roles.
• Notable events: First Reform Act (1832) expanded voting rights.
• Poetry took a secondary role to the novel, with themes of individual emotion, domestic life, imperialism, and dramatic monologue.
• Key figures: Tennyson, Browning.
• Themes: medievalism, Victorian gloom (Arnold, Dover Beach).

Victorian Novel

• "Large, loose, baggy monsters" – long, complex, often serialized stories.
• Focused on realism and social issues, addressing industrialization, class mobility, crime, and gender roles.
• "The Woman Question" – debate over women's roles (angel in the house vs. feminism).
• Key figures: Dickens (social criticism, melodrama); Brontës (challenging gender roles); George Eliot (moral essays); Hardy (tragic realism).

Late Victorianism

• Literature became darker, more experimental, and moving away from strict Victorian ideals.
• Genres emerged like Naturalism (grittier realism, e.g., New Grub Street by Gissing), fantasy, and science fiction (e.g., Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Time Machine).
• Social Darwinism influenced literature, questioning survival, evolution, and class structures.

Explore the significant intellectual movement of the Enlightenment in the 18th century, highlighting its emphasis on reason, learning, and societal improvement. Discover key philosophers and works that defined this era, as well as the transition to Romanticism, which served as a reaction to Enlightenment ideals. This quiz provides insights into the key figures, literary forms, and societal impacts of these two pivotal movements.