British Literature (Revolution – Romanticism)

English Revolution and Restoration (1640 – 1689)

• power of Parliament, Oliver Cromwell se Republica
• Puritans rejected art, literature, drama, science; they were suspicious of knowledge ® caused the lower standard and level of English culture

• melodious pleasant poetry
• John Milton – traveled a lot, studied at Cambridge

– became totally blind and couldn’t write

 – Paradise Lost – Adam + Eva fighting Satan

Enlightenment – classicism (80’s of the 17th century – 1760)

• new monarchy established in 1660
• changes in the political, social life
• colonies made England a sea power and powerful state (commercial, trade)
• capitalism ® quick social development, spreading of culture and education to lower class
• development of journalism – the 1^st daily newspapers

• literature turning from emotion to reason, wit (vtip), satire (didactic verse)
• form is more important than content
• novel appeared – suited to not so high educated part of society
• essay, comments – new
• Daniel Defoe – rich life, satirical poems against aristocracy

– The life and strange adventures of Robinson Crusoe

– story based on real experience of a Scottish sailor – lived on a island (isolated, abandoned)

– author paid attention to the thoughts, actions and the reality of character

– shows in detailed way the effort to survive under any hard conditions

– recommendation of patience under the worst misery

• Jonathan Swift – satirist

– Gulliver’s Travels – satire – allusion to the society (mostly to the higher and well educated classes)

– 4 parts – among Lilliputians – satire to small English political parties

– among Giants – satire to narrow-minded English lords and ladies

– on a island of Laputa – a land of philosophers – satire to educated people

– in the land where horses rule and men are beasts – satire to government

Romanticism (1760 – 1840)

• capitalistic system of industry
• a lot of workless – causing class misery
• rapid development of new technologies, machines, inventions = industry revolt
• ideas of returning to nature
• make man free from harmful influence of civilization
• revolt against cold formality

• revealing of restrictions of the rules set by classicism ® exotic themes, about past, horror (gothic novel – mystery atmosphere), historical novel
• realistic features
• spontaneity, individualism, emotions, passion
• George Gordon Byron – autobiographical features in major part of his writing

– Don Juan – a satirical poem

– The prisoner of Chillon – about freedom etc.

• Sir Walter Scott – collector of old English ballads

– about heroism of ordinary people

– Ivanhoe, Rob Roy

– realistic description of customs and manners of the past X also naïve – idealization of characters and their motive of behavior

• Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice – a novel of manners

– description of the way of living of the higher and middle classes of England