18th Century Lit

18th Century Lit

Introduction

The period of eighteen century was one of the times of reasons and wits that came in the area of literature with its sharp satires. The age shows the sharp quickness and observation of moral corruption and superficial follies of society, at the time of neoclassical in Britain. Knowledge and rationality, enlightenment and societal obsession portray the political and moral supremacy. At this time, satires aimed to focus on the defects of society by ridiculing the standards of aristocratic class, and exposing the flaws of Britain and censuring the hypocrisy of the age. Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope are the key enlightenment writers, who used different means of satire, different targets of ridicule, and different kinds of logic, in order to bring light on the various aspects of Britain. They both provided different criticism on the moral corruption of the society which most of the times seems to lose the real ideals of their age. Natural and artificial components are present in both Alexander and Pope's writings, but what it differ the composition of their satires.

Discussion

Alexander Pope argues about the art of nature's imitation in the classical era. We can see in one part of the Essay on Criticism “And but from Nature's fountains scorned to draw;----- Convinced, amazed, he checks----- To copy Nature is to copy them." Here he debates on the question of natural and artificial rules which are taken from the classical past. He further emphasizes on the imitation of nature and giving various thoughts about the word suggestion that can define the true art of poetry. The study of An Essay on Man is interesting as it talks about human and earth in the ideas of science which gives life to his thoughts. The passage reflects “See worlds on worlds compose one universe, --- What other planets circle----- heaven has made us as we are”. Pope incorporated his ideas and presented role of religious thoughts and reawakening in his method of delivering message. He considered that the earth is contradicted with the beliefs of religion, just like Catholic and Protestants in the way of threatening each other beliefs.

In Essay on Criticism, Pope says that “True wit is Nature to advantage dressed----- but ne'er so well expressed---- image of our mind” (297-300). Pope settles the "true wit" and “truth" in "Nature" of poetry in obvious, gracefully simple and stylistically correct expression of the nature truth. Pope means by “Nature” the organization of creation in both rational and physical world which has the creative and spiritual life of the mind. The poetry of Pope offers us back the image of our mind under the image of “Nature”. Pope offers the universal expression of human nature by giving justification of the natural hierarchy. It has been observed that Pope defines the nature of man in a common trend which ultimately reflects its complexity.

In the Pope's Essay on Criticism, he reflects the similar conflict of artificiality and naturalist inheritance of classical ...