Restoration & EighteenthCentury Literature & History

Dr. William J. Burling

Kings and queens (1660-1789)

Charles II James II William III and Mary II Anne George I George II George III

The Restoration and early 18th Century: 1660-1713

Restoration of the Monarchy

23 April 1660, Westminster Abbey

Charles II (1660-1685)

Theatre patents Court circle No heirs Numerous mistresses Succession crisis Founder of the Royal Society Patron of the arts

Catharine of Braganza

Portuguese princess Catholic 23 at time of marriage Produced no heirs

Duke of Monmouth
Charismatic Popular Executed in 1685

James II (1685-1688)
Zealous Catholic Forced to flee Jacobite descendants:
the Pretender, the Young Pretender (Bonnie Prince Charlie1745)

William III & Mary II (16891702)

First and only joint
monarchs Mary: daughter of James II; died in 1694 William: Dutch descendant of Charles I through daughter, Louisa (Charles and Jamess sister) William reigns alone until 1702 Wars with the French

Kensington Palace

Queen Anne (1702-1714)

Little interest in the
theatre or poetry A builder of churches 17 pregnancies, 5 children, but none lived to adulthood

Authors of the Restoration and Early 18th Century

Andrew Marvell

John Milton
John Dryden

Aphra Behn
Ann Finch

Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)

Secretary to Milton
during the Cromwellian era Published few poems during his life Miscellaneous Poems (1681) Important philosophical poet

John Milton (1608-1674)

Among the three most
important poets of the English literary tradition Followed the Virgilian model LAllegro and Il Penseroso Paradise Lost (1667) Paradise Regained (1672)

John Dryden (1632-1700)

Poet Laureate (16601688) Playwright, poet, critic Stuart supporter

Thomas Shadwell
Poet Laureate (16891692) Target of Drydens Mac Flecknoe Leading playwright

Aphra Behn (?-1689)

First professional
woman author in England Playwright: The Rover (1677) Poet Novelist: Oroonoko (1689)

Ann Finch (1661-1720)

Major poet of the era Explored personal
view of nature; relationships; inner life of the mind

The Georgian Era 1714-1789

George I (1714-1727)
Non-English speaking No interest in English
culture Rarely even resided in England Absence created a power vacuum

Sir Robert Walpole

1st Lord of the
Treasury (Prime Minister) 1718-1742 Strong leader Patronage network Target of satire

George II (1727-1760)

George III (1760-1820)

First English king of
Hanover Patron of the arts Personal library became the core of the British Library

Authors of the Georgian Period

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)

Greatest satirist of the 18th
century Tale of a Tub (1704) annoyed Queen Anne; sent to Dublin in 1714 when Tories lost power Gullivers Travels (1726) Modest Proposal (1729)

Alexander Pope (1688-1744)

Greatest poet of the
early 18th century Child prodigy Complex career

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) Early years

Introduced to Dryden in 1700 (age 12) Pastorals (1709) Windsor Forest (1704, 1713) Essay on Criticism (1711) Rape of the Lock (1712) Translation of Iliad (1715, 1720) made his fortune and reputation

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) Later years

Shift in worldview ca. 1727 Dunciad (1727) Essay on Man (1734) Horatian satires and epistles (1730s) Moral essays (1730s) The New Dunciad (1742, 1743)

Colley Cibber, Popes Target in The Dunciad

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762)

Major female poet Traveled extensively
in the Middle East Once a friend of Popes; later falling out. Cousin of Henry Fielding

John Gay (1685-1732)

Member of the
Scriblerian Club Excellent poet The Beggars Opera (1728)

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Poet: Vanity of Human
Wishes (1749) Essayist: Rambler, Idler Playwright: Irene Editor: Dictionary, Works of Shakespeare Biographer: Lives of the Poets

The New Poetry

Emphasis on private experience, emotions,
moods, reveries Importance of nature Interest in lower social classes, general benevolent view of humanity

The New Poets

James Thomson: The Seasons Thomas Gray: Elegy Written in a Country
Churchyard William Collins: Odes

The New Poets

Thomson

Collins

Gray

End of the Century Authors

Oliver Goldsmith (ca. 1730-1774): The
Deserted Village; She Stoops to Conquer; The Vicar of Wakefield George Crabbe (1754-1832): The Village

End of the Century Authors

Oliver Goldsmith

George Crabbe

Dawn of a new era: Romanticism