18th Century Literature: Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, and Beyond
1. Enlightenment and Neoclassicism
The Enlightenment of the 18th century is divided into three stages:
- Background: In the 17th century, contributions of Descartes and Spinoza enhanced human reason as a means of knowledge.
- Reformism: 18th century.
- Revolution: In the last years of the 18th century, emotions were valued more. Enlightenment thinkers became the basis of revolutionary processes.
Literary trends emerged in the late 17th century:
- Rococo: Style and techniques of the 17th-century Baroque. It is characterized by being heavy and complex. It occurs in French courtier environments in the early years of the century.
- Neoclassicism: Features include imitation of classical Greco-Roman and Renaissance, the preponderance of the natural and believable over fantasy, submission to the rules of literary creation and perfect distinction of gender, the search for practical usefulness and purpose in art and literature, elimination of overwhelming feeling, and valuation of irony and parody as a critical search for clarity and linguistic correctness.
- Pre-Romanticism: Last third of the 18th century, where passions are overwhelmed, with macabre nature and the presence of the author’s privacy.
Enlightenment Thought
Enlightenment thought has different foci:
- France: Social Affairs.
- England: Assessment of science as a mode of knowledge.
- Germany: The analysis and the scope of reason.
Characteristics of Enlightenment thought:
- Rationalism: Reason is considered the base of knowledge.
- Empiricism: Experimentation to learn.
- Criticism: Subjecting all human knowledge to criticism.
- Desire for knowledge: Understand the world.
- Utopianism: Application of reason for improving society.
- Progress and Happiness: Objective happiness in the world.
- Reformism: Achieving human progress.
Prose
In prose, various thematic groups are illustrated:
- Science and Technology.
- Literary and artistic theory.
- Political and social issues.
The authors participating in this prose are Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, and Rousseau.
Novel
In the novel, there are several types:
- Epistolary novel: A letter that the characters intertwine. Works with critical or sentimental content.
- Autobiographical novel: Fictional and sometimes in other than its authors.
- Sentimental novel: Affair analysis from a female perspective.
- Travel and adventure novel: The characters belong to the bourgeoisie, and there is a predominance of realism.
- Idea novel: Used by some intellectuals to expose enlightened thought.
- Erotic novel: Sex story of the characters.
English Novel
In the English novel, two authors stand out: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, and Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels.
French Novel
In the French novel, three authors stand out: Antoine François Prévost, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, and the Marquis de Sade.
Poetry
In poetry, there are different forms:
- Doctrinal poetry: Poets poured their reformist ideas into verse.
- Fable: Morality is used, along with the valuation of work and personal merit.
- Satire: Controversial and critical spirit.
- Poetry of circumstances.
A remarkable author in this poem is Alexander Pope.
Theater
In the theater, there are dramatic modes:
- Sitcoms: Sought the smile of the beholder.
- Comedies of manners: A complaint from a malfunction of Italian society.
- Bourgeois drama: Sensibility in the works.
- Theater of Ideas: Comedy.