Studies in Restoration/Neoclassical Lit

If Fielding and Swift were able to be a part of the culture today, I believe they would be in amazement that their exact texts are being played digitally for the whole world to see. Further they would most likely be horrified at the reaction of the public for being so accepting of the behavior. I believe Fielding would agree that today the low people would be those outside of politics and government, common everyday people and the High people would be those who are a part of the government making decisions, just and unjust, on behalf of the masses. If I were to attempt Swifts Modest Proposal to today's times, I would propose an auction of today's Immigrant families. For those families attempting to enter the country, I would propose the following: In order to enter the country parents must offer their children to be auctioned off to upper class families that would raise them up to be quality model citizens and not rapists, murderers, and drug dealers that they would grow up t...

              Print and journalism in the 18 th century still share similarities to news reporting today. In the latter half of the 1700’s, journalists were writing more on their opinions and expectations of the government rather than the political positions of the monarchy. Although their headlines were longer, they were still dramatic, capturing the reader’s attention such as The Newgate Calendar ’s entry Circumstantial Account of the Life, Trial, Piracies, and Execution of Captain John Kidd, Who Was Hanged At Execution Dock . Speaking of audience, the purpose of the print was to inform its readers of the goings in politics and government. Word of mouth took weeks and months to receive new information on the happening of the world around them. Much like today, as seen in The London Magazine , more prevalent issues filled the beginnings of the pages while gossip and entertainment occupied the final pages. When it comes to style, there are some char...

Fearless. That is the only way that I can correctly describe The Amorous Lady. Vocalizing feminist views in the age of revolution, The Amorous Lady, suspected to be Martha Fowke Sansom, was unconventional and ahead of her time. Sure of herself, passion bled through the pages of her writings as she refused to conform to the rules. In her poem On Being Charged with Writing Incorrectly , Sansom exposes her critics limited structure and how she will not fall into the line of conformity. Sansom writes, No let my genius have its way / My genius I will still obey / Nor with their stupid rules control / The sacred pulse that beats within my soul (Lines 9-12). Sansom broke away from what was considered proper writing as she voiced frustrations of the expectations of what good writing should be arguing the male dominated literary scene. Her work published anonymously in the Barbados Gazette, Sansom’s subject were carnal and emotional and proved to be more accepted in the transatlantic re...

Locke makes two opposing statements regarding the idea of slavery, it’s position and effectiveness in society. His first idea holds the position that slaves as property are immoral and unreasonable ethics to possess. He attacks slavery and deems it a direct violation to the right of natural freedom in his essay   John Locke Two Treatises of Government . However, he counters this argument in his Second Treatise, John Locke Two Treatises of Government , by approving the ideas of slavery specifically in positions such as result of war, therefore POW’s or prisoner of war are sought acceptable and moral reasons to posses’ slaves. It is important however to note that within this second treatise Locke does not initially refer to these pow’s as slaves rather servants or captives. Does then, the substitute for the noun slave, determine the ethical morality of the matter and shift the argument entirely?       Slavery is immoral. Reclaiming the identity and renami...

                                                     John Locke’s essay and theory on Concerning Human Understanding challenged the old way of learning by means of the Scholastic Model and instead proposed that all humanity is born with a blank slate and therefore hold no preconceptions of ideas or possess any preexisting knowledge at birth. Locke recalls a gathering with some of his friends discussing a matter without coming to any resolution on the matter that troubled them so. The unresolved issue is a direct inconsistency with the Scholastic model which implies that reasoning with the exchange of argument and counter argument along with the pursuit of a conclusion should be directed towards all questions or contradictions.   However, these men, who I can reasonably assume are intellects or scholars, could not come up with such resolution to ...

John Dryden, also known as the 'father of criticism', is known for his satirical writings during the Restoration Era. A defender of writing, Dryden ushered in satirical devices to more importantly improve the offended rather than diminish. His gift with wit was that it be so subtle, unforeseen even, that the offended should not even be made aware that any offense has taken place. Mac Flecknoe ( mac flecknoe poem ), one of Dryden’s most famous works, is abundant in satirically grand language that stings with abuse, yet it is so tactful that one may have to reread several times before realizing the insult, which only adds to injury. And although Dryden was the master of satire and critique, he never departed from his intentional use of the device, which was meant to lead and result in reform. Similarly, satire is used, for the most part, in the same ways as those during the Restoration period; however, there are more avenues and access today that can express the satirica...

My initial impression of the Enlightenment is that it is similar to most movements throughout our world's history. An era which sparked an advancement in intellectual thought during the 18th century, this movement challenged the old order and introduced new ways of thinking and  seeing the world, specifically strides in reason and science. As the population increased, the expansion of Great Britain allowed for its recognition as a world power. But at what costs was their eagerness to expand? If reason and intellectual advancement was at a heightened state, why the consistent link between suffering and progress?  Unfortunately, the suffering of slaves fueled by the slave trade was a source of profit and aid to their monarch. This direct link between suffering and progress is sadly seen today, especially here in the United States. Aims toward making our country a safer place from outsiders who do not share our values also permit suffering for families whose morals and stan...