Journalism, Society, and Morality in 18th-Century England
The Rise of Journalism
18th Century: Origin of Modern-Day Journalism
Richard Steele and Joseph Addison were forerunners of modern newspapers and magazines.
Most novelists of the era started their careers as journalists.
The rise of journalism reflected a greater interest in contemporary reality.
The genre of periodical essays anticipated the editorials of our modern-day newspapers.
Consequences:
- Increasing interest in reading
- Establishment of circulating libraries
- Main new readers: prosperous middle classes
- Booksellers
Alice Munro: Life and “How I Met My Husband”
Alice Munro
Alice Munro grew up in Wingham, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario. She has published thirteen collections of stories and a novel. During her distinguished career, she has been the recipient of many awards, including two Giller Prizes, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Man Booker International Prize. In 2013, she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s Magazine, The Paris Review,
Read MoreAmerican Literature: Revolution to Early Republic
The Birth of a Nation
The most memorable writing in the 18th century was done by the Founding Fathers, the men who led the Revolution of 1775-1783 and who wrote the Constitution of 1789. Their most typical product was the political pamphlet. They shared the Enlightenment belief that human intelligence could understand both nature and man. They wanted to create a happy society based on justice and freedom.
Benjamin Franklin
The writings of Benjamin Franklin show the Enlightenment spirit in America at
Read MorePidgins, Creoles, and the Evolution of English
What is Maritime English?
Royal Navy and merchant ships travelled the oceans. The officers were English, but the crews were multiracial. Maritime English, or ship’s jargon, was a form of pidgin English. Linguistic descendants of maritime English share similar characteristics in the Caribbean, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and Hawaii.
What is a Pidgin? How Do Pidgins Normally Begin?
A pidgin is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups that
Read MoreEnglish Language Review: Grammar, Literary Analysis, and Vocabulary
English Language Review
Grammar: Subject Pronouns (p. 158)
- Subject pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence.
- Examples: I, we, you, he, she, they, it.
Literary Analysis: Analogy & Allusion (p. 158)
- Analogy: A comparison used to describe or explain something.
- Example: “Stinky looked like a Volcho compared with all the BMWs and Cadillacs around the pool.”
- Allusion: A reference to a famous person, event, or character.
- Example: “He looks like Captain America from the Avengers.”
Vocabulary (p. 162)
- Consequence:
Children’s Literature: History and Evolution
A) A book written by author John Newbery in 1744, it belongs to the first half of the 18th century. Newbery’s *A Little Pretty Pocket Book* is most notable because it was a commercial, mixed-media text. Children’s literature is not a natural phenomenon but a social construct, born of the European Enlightenment of the 18th century. The evangelistic attitude dominated children’s books until the end of the 18th century and influenced, directly or in reaction, attitudes almost to the end of the
Read More