Neoclassical Literature
It’s a bit of a cliché to say that any given literary period was a time of great social change, but such was the case for the literary period from 1660-1798, generally called Neoclassical. But it’s instructive to think about the changes in culture and consciousness that define the period. In 1642, King Charles I was beheaded and the monarchy was replaced by Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth. Then, in 1660, the monarchy was restored to Charles II who promised disingenuously to rule through parliament. The end of the interregnum had consequences for the literary establishment. For eighteen years, Cromwell’s Puritan values had emphasized an aesthetic of plainness. But the reopened theaters presented bawdy and outrageously funny dramas. Perhaps too the outraged tone and use of scatological imagery that characterizes Mac Flecknoe also issues from anti-Puritan sentiment (don’t forget that Dryden mockingly calls Shadwell the “true-blue protestant poet.) British power and influence increased as a consequence of increased trade and the Act of Union (1707). In addition, society was still coming to terms with the Copernican revolution of the 16th century and the new realization that our world is not the center of the universe, a discovery with catastrophic implications for scientists, theologians and philosophers.
Dramatic social change is always processed by the arts. The writers we are studying were no exception. For the writers at hand, a response to social change was to emphasize and appropriate the values of classical philosophy and art, hence the term neoclassical. Classical literary theory taught writers to develop their facility in the classical genres. Horace satirized Rome and Dryden and Swift satirize contemporary Britain. Classical literature taught the rules of elegant, direct and meaningful writing; and these rules were adopted and championed, as in Pope’s Essay on Criticism. Note: In class, I have been referring to the literature of Dryden, Swift, Pope and Johnson as neoclassical. However, if you were to study the period in more depth, you’d encounter a number of different ways of referring to different parts of this period such as The Restoration, The Augustan Age, The Age of Reason, The Age of Dryden, The Age of Johnson etc. Try to think these titles over, especially the first three and think why they might they might be appropriate references to time during which our readings were composed and published.
Three major themes are apparent in our readings. One is the place of man in society. Much of our reading looks at ways in which the needs of the community or society at large trump the needs of the individual. Gulliver certainly discovers this; Pope and Johnson both make arguments as to why this must be the case. One way for the individual to cope with the responsibilities of living in society is to prize reason over passion. Doing so allows a citizen to avoid the mistake of pride, or excessive passion for the self. Swift, Pope and Johnson all posit ways in which the pride of individuals frays the fabric of human fellowship and social connections. As you read, try to think through your response to the arguments and your assessment of their enduring truth. This will prepare to explore and assess the Romantics, who took issue with neoclassical attitudes toward the individual. Another recurring theme you should alert yourself to in our reading is the problem of order. Notice that order is not only a valued social commodity, but a literary and personal one as well. Think about Shadwell. In what ways is his writing disordered? How does his disregard for order affect the literary community at large? Similarly, notice the dire predictions for human contentment and peace that Swift, Pope and Johnson consider the consequences of disregard for order. However, it’s important to note these authors empower the individual by making order an achievable human goal. We can order and stabilize our lives, especially if we are attentive to the lesson of nature, not necessarily the sublime and beautiful aspects of nature that will fascinate and inspire the Romantics, but rather the “universal and permanent elements in human experience” (Norton 864).
An introduction to neoclassical literature cannot end without emphasizing the period’s attachment to the concept of wit. In general wit refers to “quickness of mind, inventiveness, a knack for conceiving images and metaphors and for perceiving resemblances between things apparently unlike” (865). Most would argue that Pope said it best when he wrote “True Wit is Nature to advantage dressed, / What oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed. Shadwell’s writing deserves censure because it is deplorably short of wit. Gulliver’s family finds that he has lost his wits. Throughout neoclassical literature you’ll hear again and again about the value of cultivating wit.