Question

The period between 1744 and 1785 is known as:

• A. Restoration
• B. Augustan Age
• C. Age of Pope
• D. Age of Sensibility

Answer 1

Answer:

D. Age of Sensibility

The Age of Sensibility (1744-1785)

• The period between 1744 and 1785 in English literature is predominantly known as the Age of Sensibility, also sometimes referred to as the Age of Johnson (due to Samuel Johnson's prominence) or the Pre-Romantic Age.
• It serves as a transitional period, bridging the gap between the rationalistic Augustan Age (Neoclassical Period) and the emotionally charged Romantic Age.

• Key Characteristics and Themes:

  • Emphasis on Emotion: A significant shift from the Augustan emphasis on reason, logic, and wit to a focus on profound human emotions, sentiment, and the cultivation of feeling.
  • Moral and Ethical Concerns: Literature often explored moral dilemmas, the complexities of human nature, and the importance of virtue and empathy.
  • Rise of Individualism: There was a growing interest in the individual's subjective experience and inner life.
  • Nature's Role: A renewed appreciation for nature, not just as a picturesque backdrop, but as a source of emotional solace, inspiration, and a reflection of one's inner state. This foreshadows the Romantic poets' deep connection with nature.
  • Sublime and Beautiful: Edmund Burke's A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757) was highly influential, distinguishing between the terrifying grandeur of the sublime and the pleasing harmony of the beautiful.
  • Graveyard School Poetry: A notable poetic trend emphasizing death, mortality, and solemn reflection, often set in melancholic, rural, or graveyard scenes. Prominent figures include Thomas Gray and Edward Young.

• Prominent Authors and Works:

  • Samuel Johnson (1709-1784): A dominant literary figure, lexicographer, and critic. His works include A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), Rasselas (1759), and Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets (1779-1781).
  • Thomas Gray (1716-1771): Famous for Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751), a quintessential example of Graveyard School poetry.
  • William Collins (1721-1759): Known for his Odes, such as Ode to Evening.
  • Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774): Prolific writer across genres, known for the novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), the poem The Deserted Village (1770), and the comedy She Stoops to Conquer (1773).
  • Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816): A leading playwright of the period, famous for comedies of manners like The Rivals (1775) and The School for Scandal (1777).
  • Laurence Sterne (1713-1768): Noted for his experimental, sentimental novel The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1759-1767) and A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (1768).
  • Samuel Richardson (1689-1761): Although his major works like Pamela (1740) and Clarissa (1748) predate the exact start of this period, his development of the epistolary novel and focus on moral dilemmas and sentimentalism heavily influenced the subsequent literature.

• Literary Forms:

  • The novel continued to grow in popularity and sophistication, moving towards deeper psychological exploration.
  • Sentimental poetry and the Ode became prominent poetic forms.
  • The comedy of manners continued to flourish in drama.
• This period laid crucial groundwork for the Romantic movement by fostering a deeper interest in individual experience, emotion, and nature, moving away from the strictures of Neoclassical rationality and societal norms.