CM1 General Introduction on the British Eighteenth Century and its Authors Flashcards
What are the first things we visualize when we think about the eighteenth century novel ?
1) Dusty and muddy roads
2) Coaches and Carriages (coches)
3) The hooves of horses (sabots)
4) Adventurous travellers
5) (Un)fortunate encounters
6) Inns with good or bad reputations (auberges)
What is the outstanding conception of the eighteenth century novel ?
The sense of movement, of a series of dynamic shifts, of exchanges.
What is so different about french and english context at this time ?
French Revolution occured in 1789, wherea in England, it’s already a post revolutionary society (in reference to The Glorious Revolution in 1688).
When was Defoe in prison and why ?
In 1692 for debts.
What happened in 1692 ?
Defoe was in prison for debts.
What happened from 1714 to 1727 ?
George I’s reign
When was George I’s reign
From 1714 to 1727
What happend in 1719 ?
Robinson Crusoe was published
When was Robinson Crusoe published ?
In 1719.
What can we say about this period : 1727-1760 ?
It was George II’s reign
1) It was characterized by peace on English soil but long, expensive wars with European neighbours, particularly France and Spain.
2) By steady (stable) expansion of the British Empire.
3) England becomes the European leader in the transatlantic slave trade.
What is the Enlightment ?
Les Lumières
Comment dit-on les Lumières ?
the Enlightment.
What is the Enlightment associated to ?
1) The intellectual movements of the period (particularly those taking place in France) which promoted the systematic application of reason in order to discover knowledge of human life and to improve human existence through the development of new social and political systems.
2) Belief : - in the idea of the universe as a system controlled by laws
- in the idea of human progress.
3) Promoting non-authoritarian systems of social organization.
Who was John Locke ?
1) Second part of the 17th century
2) Rational Theologian and Philosopher
3) He wrote Essay Concerning Human Understanding : He thinks the source of knowledge is experienced through sensations and reflections.
4) EMPIRICISM: sense, concrete experience as the ground of knowledge
Who was David Hume ?
1) Middle of the 18th century
2) He wrote A Treatise of Human Nature
3) From Locke’s empiricism, Hume kept the importance of perception through impressions and ideas.
4) But his theory of knowledge was marked by a deep subjectivity, insisting on the self and not so much on external reality.
What did is “The Rise of the Novel” ?
1) A book, written by Ian Watt in 1957.
2) It’s about the development of the novel being closely linked to the development of the Middle Class.
Why is the development of the novel closely linked to the development of the Middle Class ?
The growth of the reading public
and the emergence of the novel as
a genre are interrelated phenomenons.
What are the characteristics of the eighteenth century novel ?
1) Diversity and formal instability (mixing of modes and techniques).
2) The first stage in the development of the English novel occurred between 1719 (the date of Robinson Crusoe) and 1767 (the final volume of Tristram Shandy).
3) The eighteenth-century novel is a synthesis of the topics and themes familiar to the eighteenth century big English Novelists.
Who is Henry Fielding ?
1) An author of the Eighteenth century
2) He inspired the Eighteenth century novel with the picaresque and the comic
What is the background to the concept of sensibility in the 18th Century ?
Sensibility, within the context of eighteenth-century English literature refers to the importance of fellow-feeling (camaraderie), charity (in an emotional as well as financial sense) and sympathy are foregrounded in social relationships.
How is sensibility defined in the Jonhson dictionary ?
1) Quickness of sensations
2) Quickness of perceptions
What is the Bildungsroman ?
Also called the apprenticeship novel, the hero learns new things on his journey and evolves.
Metaphor of the Road
What are the the themes and topics familiar to the eighteenth century novelists ?
1) The picaresque and comic
2) The Bildungsroman
3) Sensibility
4) The motif of the pure young girl chased by an evil seducer
5) The sentimental novel
6) Satire
What is the picaresque /comic ?
Story that contains : - Ups and downs - Elements creating surprise - Comic tone - Humour and satire - Travels
