Eighteenth-Century English Literature (MacMillan History of Literature)

This study isolates the literary ideals of the eighteenth century, from the development of political satire to the emergence of the gothic novel, noting the rise of the novel as a literary genre and the comparative decline of the genres of the epic and tragedy. The writers are placed in their political, social and cultural context, and a bibliography and chronological table are provided to enable the student to gain a wider view of the subject. Front Matter....Pages i-ix Transitions....Pages 1-15 The age of disguise....Pages 16-36 The young Alexander Pope and the poetic art....Pages 37-53 Sublime nature and corrupt civilisation: the emergence of ‘new’ literary ideals....Pages 54-74 Scriblerian satire....Pages 75-97 The era of sincerity: mid-century poetry....Pages 98-118 Mid-century fiction and drama....Pages 119-139 The age of sensibility....Pages 140-160 Samuel Johnson: his times and his circle....Pages 161-182 The century’s end....Pages 183-207 Back Matter....Pages 208-227 Maximillian E. Novak. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [219]-221.