18th Century English Society Life & Literature

A Social Background of the English Society in the 18th century Society in 18th Century Britain Social Classes in 18th century society The Nobility ↓ Th...

A Social Background of the English Society in the 18th century Society in 18th Century Britain Social Classes in 18th century society The Nobility ↓ The Gentry (rich landowners) ↓ The Yeomen (middle class) ↓ Craftsmen & Laborers ↓ The Poor Population growth The population of Britain grew rapidly at the end of the 18 th century due to the industrial revolution. In the mid 18th century, the population of Britain was about 6.5 37 million. Many people left the countryside in order to seek out new job opportunities in nearby towns and cities. In the late 18th century it grew to over 9 million. Towns in the 18th century Britain In the late of 18th century, a group of men, called Improvement commissioners, were formed by acts of parliament to clean the streets, light them with oil lamps and collect the rubbish. The Gin Drinking: **The Gin Craze: it was a period in the first half of the 18th century when the consumption of gin increased rapidly in Great Britain, especially in London. ** It was cheap and it was sold everywhere. There was no license for selling it. ** Many people ruined their health by drinking it. ** A tax was imposed on gin after 1751 which improved the situation. 38 Living conditions and health care in the 18th century: - With many people coming to towns to find work, slums areas grew quickly. Consequently, living conditions in many towns became unimaginable. Many families were forced to live in single rooms with no sanitation or fresh air. Water was polluted with sewage and streets were filled with garbage. There was no systematic way to get rid of the dead and many graveyards in London were full and many coffins were left uncovered in poor holes close to local houses. The death rate became high. In London, perhaps one in five children died before their second birthday, and in other towns, the infant mortality reached 75%. However, the steady flow of migrants to the cities prevented the declining of population. Agriculture in the 18th century Britain: --In the 18th century, there was a development in the agricultural production. --Until 1701, seed was sown by hand. --In 1701, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill. It helped the farmers to plant seeds in straight lines. Jethro Tull 39  The Seed Drill Jethro Tull also invented the horse drawn hoe which helped farmers to hoe the land and destroy weed between rows of crops. The horse drawn hoe 40 -- Until the 18th century, farmers could slaughter the livestock at the beginning of winter because they could not grow enough food for these animals during winter months. Food in the 18th century Britain: **In spite of the great development in farming and industry, food for ordinary people remained plain. They ate bread and potatoes. Meat was considered luxury for them. **Tea-drinking became fashionable in London around 1690. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the British developed a tea ceremony. During the 18th century, tea replaced beer and ale as the national drink of the British. At the end of the century, tea became the basic drinking even among the ordinary people. Tea Ceremonies 41 Houses in the 18th century Britain: The rich people lived in great houses with comfortable, beautiful and inlaid furniture. According to the poor, they lived in simple houses. The craftsmen and workers lived in 2 or 3 rooms. The poorest people, on the other hand, lived in just one room. Their furniture was very simple and plain. 42 Towns in 18th Century Britain: In the 18th century, there was a famous landscape gardener called Lancelot Brown (1715- 1783) who created beautiful gardens in the towns of England. He was also known as (Capability Brown) because of his ability to look at land and say “it had great capabilities.” The most famous architect of 18th century Britain was Robert Adam (1728- 1792). Robert Adam: created a style called the neo-classical, and he designed many of the 18th century country houses. 43 Clothes in the 18th century: - In the 18th century, men wore knee-length trousers (breeches) and stockings. They also wore waistcoats. - Both men and women wore wigs. For men, the wigs that were three-cornered were more popular. They also wore buckled shoes. - Women wore rich embroidery and full skirts. Fashionable women carried folding fans. Fashion was very important for the rich in the 18th century, but the poor people’s clothes hardly changed at all. 44 Education in the 18th century: -The schools in the Georgian era were only open for young boys. For boys of rich families, it was not rare to get admission to these schools by paying an unreasonably large sum of money as a fee. Boys who belonged to comparatively poorer families were admitted on the basis of their skills through having an ‘entrance test’. However, young boys from poorest families were supposed to work from an early age to make ends meet, which meant that formal education was a rare luxury for them. Grammar schools: were also very common during the Georgian era and most of the children from well off families used to receive their basic education from there. The major subjects that were taught were Latin and French and the ‘brighter’ students would also receive lessons in classical Greek. According to girls, most young girls that were born in the upper-class families had their private tutors who used to teach them at their homes. The subjects that were taught to women were mostly French, Italian and needlework. The purpose of education in case of women was to improve their social status. Most women of the lower middle classes received education in order to learn the ways of the gentry, which helped them in improving their social status by marrying 45 a man of a higher social class. However, after their marriage, most of the education that they had received as young girls were rendered useless as their roles were restricted to managing and maintaining the house. -Studying in universities was the only way to receive a higher education during Georgian times. Oxford and Cambridge were the most obvious choices of boys who were looking for higher education. There were no female students who attended the universities, which was more or less a social norm. Charity Schools or Blue Coat Schools (because of the color of the children’s uniform): Charity school, also called Blue Coat School, is a type of English elementary school that emerged in the early 18th century to educate the children of the poor. * These schools clothed and taught their students free of charge. They became the foundation of 19th-century English elementary education. 46 Transport in the 18th century: --Transportation was improved in the 18th century. A group of rich men formed the turnpike trusts. The Turnpikes Trusts: were bodies set up by individual acts of parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining and ensuring that roads were kept in good condition. It was applied in Britain from the 17th (in 1663) but they became common especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the beginning of the 18th century, transporting goods was by pack horse. Transporting the heavy goods was very expensive. 47 In 1759, the Duke of Bridgewater decided to build a canal to bring coal from Worsely to Manchester. When the canal was completed, the price of coal was reduced in Manchester. Many other canals were dug during the 18th and early 19th century, and this contributed to make the transportation of goods cheaper. The Bridgewater Canal Leisure in the 18th century: Traditional games were popular in the 18th century like chess, draught, backgammon and tennis. Dominoes reached Europe in the 18th century. Horse racing became a professional sport in the 18th century. For the rich people, card games and gambling were popular. 48 Rich people were also interested in visiting spas. They thought that bathing in or drinking spa water could cure their illness. Theatre in the 18th Century: In the early 18th century, the idea of theatre was not found. Plays were performed in buildings like inns. But in the late 18th century, theatres were built in most towns in England. Reading became popular in 18th century. The first novels were published at this time. Books were expensive, so people joined the circulating libraries (small libraries with books lent for a small fee to subscribers). 49 Religion in the 18th century: In the early 18th century, there was a lack of religious enthusiasm. But in the mid 18th century the matter changed. In 1739, the great evangelist George Whitefield began preaching. In the same year, John Wesley began to preach. He created a new religious movement called Methodism. (Methodist movement). Methodism: The Methodist movement was a religious group of Protestant Christianity which derived its inspiration from the life and teachings of John Wesley (1703-1791). It originated in eighteenth-century England, and due to powerful missionary activity, it spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond. Methodism is respected around the world for its emphasis on helping the poor and the average person, and its very systematic approach to building the person, and the "church." Methodists are convinced that building loving relationships with others through social service is a means of working towards the inclusiveness of God's love and universal salvation in the church. 50 Technology in the 18th century: In the late 18th century, technology advanced rapidly as a result of the industrial revolution. In the field of textile industry: there were the inventions of spinning Jenny, Spinning mule, water frame and the power loom. As a result of these new inventions, cotton production reached its boom. In the field of steaming, there were the inventions of steam engine, steam boats and steam locomotives. The Iron Production: There was also a development in the iron production. In 1784, a man named Henry Cort invented a better way of making wrought iron. He could convert the pig iron into wrought iron through the invention of the Puddling process. Pig Iron: a type of iron that is not pure. Wrought Iron (Iron bar): iron that can be bent into attractive shapes. The puddling process: converted pig iron into wrought iron by subjecting it to heat and stirring it in a furnace, without using charcoal. It was the first method that allowed quality wrought iron to be produced on a large scale. Cort’s invention had tremendous impact on the iron industry and helped significantly increase England’s production. 51 52 The literary Movements and an Intellectual Background of 18th Century Britain 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64