English-literature-V-18世纪英国文学

EnglishLiteraturein18thcenturyBritishEmpireDuringtheAgeofDiscoveryinthe15thand16thcenturies,PortugalandSpainpioneeredEuropeanexplorationoftheglobe,andintheprocessestablishedlargeoverseasempires.Enviousofthegreatwealththeseempiresgenerated,England,France,andtheNetherlands,begantoestablishcoloniesandtradenetworksoftheirownintheAmericasandAsia.Aseriesofwarsinthe17thand18thcenturieswiththeNetherlandsandFranceleftEnglandthedominantcolonialpowerinNorthAmericaandIndia.BritishEmpireAtitsheight,itwasthelargestempireinhistoryand,foroveracentury,wastheforemostglobalpower.By1922theBritishEmpireheldswayoverabout458millionpeople,one-fifthoftheworld‘spopulationatthetime.Theempirecoveredmorethan33,700,000km2,almostaquarteroftheEarth'stotallandarea.Atthepeakofitspower,thephrasetheempireonwhichthesunneversetswasoftenusedtodescribetheBritishEmpire.BritishEmpireMongolEmpireEurasiaontheeveoftheMongolinvasions,c.1200.HistoricalBackgroundWiththeGloriousRevolution,Englandbecameaconstitutionalmonarchyand,thestatepowerpassedfromthekinggraduallytotheParliamentandthecabinetministers.Withit,thecapitalistsystemwasoncesandforallestablishedinEngland.Abroad,avastexpansionofBritishcoloniesinAsia,AfricaandNorthAmerica,andacontinuousincreaseofcolonialwealthandtradeprovidedEnglandwithamarketforwhichthesmall-scale,manualproductionmethodsofthehomeindustrywerehardlyadequate.HistoricalBackgroundBesides,therewerelarge-scale,andlong-drawn-outwarsbyprofessionalarmiesandthestationoflargeregimentsinthecolonies.AllthesecreatednotonlyagreatdemandforlargequantitiesofmanufacturedgoodsbutalsostandardizedgoodsmadeinBritain.ThiswasthebasiccauseoftheIndustrialRevolution,oftheinventionoftextilemachinesandotherkindsofmachinery.HistoricalBackgroundAthomeinthecountry,ActsofEnclosurewereputtingmorelandsintothehandsoffewerprivilegedrichlandownersandforcingthousandsofsmallfarmersandtenantsofftheirlandtobecomewageearnersinindustrialtowns.Asaresult,thereappearedamarketoffreelaboranalfreecapital,thusprovidingtheessentialconditionsfortherisingofIndustrialRevolution.So,towardsthemiddleofthe19thcentury,Englandhadbecomethefirstpowerfulcapitalistcountry,thework-shopoftheworld,floodingthemarketsbothathomeandabroadwithitsmanufacturedgoods.HistoricalBackgroundThesechanges,bothpoliticalandsocial,enrichedthebourgeoisieandthearistocracywhoruledthecountry,butbroughtgreatmiseriestothemajorityofthepeopleinEngland,Scotland,andIreland;andinthecolonies.PopularuprisingsagainandagainhitIreland;inScotlandpeoplewerethreateningofindependencefromtheBritishgovernment;andtheAmericanpeoplestartedtheirWarofIndependencein1776andfinallybrokeawayfromtheBritishgovernment.HistoricalBackgroundAsEnglandwasgrowingintoapowerfulindustrialcountry,italsowitnessedtherapidgrowthofthebourgeoismiddleclassathome.These-weremainlycitypeople:traders,merchants,manufacturers,andotheradventurerssuchasslave-tradersandcolonists.TheybecamethebackboneofthefastdevelopingEngland.AstheIndustrialRevolutionwentoninitsfullswing,moreandmorepeoplejoinedtherankofthemiddleclassorthepropertiedclass.Itwasarevolutionaryclassthenandquitedifferentfromthefeudal-aristocraticclass.HistoricalBackgroundTheywerethepeoplewhohadknownpovertyandhardship,andmostofthemhadobtainedtheirpresentsocialstatusthroughmuchhardwork.Morally,theystressedthevirtuesofself-discipline,thriftandhardwork.Forthem,towork,toeconomizeandtoaccumulatewealthconstitutedthewholemeaningoftheirlife.HistoricalBackgroundⅡ.CulturalBackground1.EnlightenmentTheEnlightenmentwasaprogressiveintellectualmovementthroughoutWesternEuropeinthe18thcentury.Itwasanexpressionofstruggleofthebourgeoisieagainstfeudalism.Theenlightenersfoughtagainstclassinequality,stagnation,prejudicesandothersurvivalsoffeudalism.Theythoughtthechiefmeansforbetteringthesocietywasenlightenmentoreducationforthepeople.TheEnglishenlightenerswerebourgeoisdemocraticthinkers.HistoricalBackgroundⅡ.CulturalBackground1.EnlightenmentTheyweredifferentfromthoseofFrance,fortheyappearednotbeforebutafterthebourgeoisrevolution.Theysetnorevolutionaryaimbeforethemandwhattheystroveforwastocarrytherevolutionthroughtoanend.MostoftheEnglishwriterswereenlighteners.Theyfellintotwogroups-themoderategroupandtheradicalgroup.Themoremoderateenlightenerssupportedtheprinciplesoftheexistingsocialorderandconsideredthatpartialreformswouldbesufficient.HistoricalBackgroundⅡ.CulturalBackground1.EnlightenmentInthisgroupmaybeincludedchieflyAlexanderPope,JosephAddisonandRichardSteele,DanielDefoeandSamuelRichardson.Themoreradicalenlightenersstruggledformoreresolutedemocratizationinthemanagementofthegovernment,anddefendedtheinterestsoftheexploitedmasses,thepeasantsandtheworkingpeopleinthecities.TherepresentativewritersofthisgroupareJonathanSwift,HenryFielding,TobiasGeorgeSmollett,OliverGoldsmithandRichardBrinsleySheridan.HistoricalBackgroundⅡ.CulturalBackground1.EnlightenmentMostofthewritersofthemoderategroupacknowledgedthattheexistingsocialsystemofthedaywasessentiallyfairandjust.Onthisbasistheytriedtoworkoutastandardofmoralconduct,whi