18th Century Poetry
Part One
Introduction
Almost every day, the long eighteenth century seems to be getting longer. And wider. It’s all a matter of where to draw the artificial boundaries between the stages of time over which human culture continues to change. This volume offers just one version of a period of history many refer to as the ‘long eighteenth century’, especially as it relates to the literature and culture of England.
This version of the long eighteenth century begins in 1660, when a particularly momentous historical event offers a convenient place to begin this story. The Restoration of Charles II marks a point when the nation – or, at least, some of the most powerful and influential individuals alive at the time – decided to ‘restore’ to England a form of national government which combined monarchical rule with an elected parliament. The cultural impact of the Restoration, and how authors anticipated its effect on the country’s future, is widely evident in contemporary literature. So, too, are authors’ meaningful reflections on previous periods of English history, and how depictions of that history could be refashioned to suit new ideas about England’s national culture.
Looking back to the beginning of the long eighteenth century, it is worth noting that the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 itself presents the culmination of ongoing political debates from earlier periods in
English history, notably the period of religious and civil unrest which erupted into civil war from about 1642. The long eighteenth century
The Long 18th Century starts to get a little bit longer, in other words, as soon as we seek to understand specific events in relation to cultural developments over time. In Part Two, a more detailed overview of such events is provided to give a fuller sense of this period’s rich, but necessarily complex, cultural history as a whole.
A Cultural Overview
Different strands of religious, economic, political, artistic and social
issues
Introduction
Almost every day, the long eighteenth century seems to be getting longer. And wider. It’s all a matter of where to draw the artificial boundaries between the stages of time over which human culture continues to change. This volume offers just one version of a period of history many refer to as the ‘long eighteenth century’, especially as it relates to the literature and culture of England.
This version of the long eighteenth century begins in 1660, when a particularly momentous historical event offers a convenient place to begin this story. The Restoration of Charles II marks a point when the nation – or, at least, some of the most powerful and influential individuals alive at the time – decided to ‘restore’ to England a form of national government which combined monarchical rule with an elected parliament. The cultural impact of the Restoration, and how authors anticipated its effect on the country’s future, is widely evident in contemporary literature. So, too, are authors’ meaningful reflections on previous periods of English history, and how depictions of that history could be refashioned to suit new ideas about England’s national culture.
Looking back to the beginning of the long eighteenth century, it is worth noting that the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 itself presents the culmination of ongoing political debates from earlier periods in
English history, notably the period of religious and civil unrest which erupted into civil war from about 1642. The long eighteenth century
The Long 18th Century starts to get a little bit longer, in other words, as soon as we seek to understand specific events in relation to cultural developments over time. In Part Two, a more detailed overview of such events is provided to give a fuller sense of this period’s rich, but necessarily complex, cultural history as a whole.
A Cultural Overview
Different strands of religious, economic, political, artistic and social
issues