Chapter 3 The Neoclassical Period-1.ppt

The Neoclassical Period (1688-1798) I. Background information Historical background A. The English society of the neoclassical period was a turbulent one. There was constant strife between the monarch and the parliament, between the Tories and the Whigs over the control of the parliament and government, between opposing religious sects, between the ruling class and the laboring poor, etc. In short, it was an age full of conflicts and divergence of values. B. The eighteenth century saw the fast development of Britain as a nation. Towards the middle of the century, Britain had become the first powerful capitalist country in the world. With the rapid economic growth, the population of the middle class also greatly expanded. 2. Cultural background With the development of capitalism, the social and moral values of the middle-class people became dominant in the society. They believed in self-restraint, self-reliance and hard work. For them the whole meaning of life was to work, to economize and to accumulate wealth. B. The Enlightenment Movement was in full swing in England during this period. The purpose of this movement was to enlighten the whole world with the light of modern philosophical and artistic ideas. The enlighteners celebrated reason, equality and science, claiming that reason should be the only, and final cause of any human thought and activities. C. The enlighteners believed that when reason served as the yardstick for the measurement of all human activities and relations, every superstition, injustice and oppression was to yield place to “eternal truth”, “eternal justice” and “natural equality”. D. The enlighteners advocated universal education. They believed that if the masses were well educated, there would be greater chance for a democratic human society. 3. Features of the neoclassical literature The neoclassical literature took the ancient Greek and Roman classical works and contemporary French ones as the literary model. In style, the neoclassi