MATURE ENLIGHTENMENT

EARLY ENLIGHTENMENT

 

Early Enlightenment saw the flourishing of journalism, which played an important part in the public life of the time. The numerous newspapers and journals that appeared at that time, not only acquainted the people with the situation at home and abroad, but also helped to form the public opinion and shape people's views. The most popular journals were "The Tatler" ("Болтун"), "The Englishman" and "The Spectator" ("Зритель"), edited by Joseph Addison and Richard Steel. In their essays published in the journals, they touched upon various problems of political, social and family life. These essays paved the way for the realistic novels, brought into English literature by Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift.

 

Daniel Defoe is considered to be the father of the English realistic novel. He wrote mainly adventure, picaresque (плутовской) novels.

 

Jonathan Swift is a famous satirist, whose traditions of satirical writing were followed by a great number of writers all over the world.

 

 

In the 2^nd period - Mature Enlightenment - the genre of the realistic didactic novel was born and was the most popular genre. It was represented by the works of Samuel Richardson, Tobias Smollett ("The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker" - "Путешествия Гемфри Клинкера") and Henry Fielding.

 

Samuel Richardson is considered to be the creator of the family psychological novel (семейно-бытовой психологический роман). Among his most famous novels are the following ones:

- "Pamela; or Virtue Rewarded" ("Памела или вознаграждённая добродетель") (1740) - this book was written when the author was already 50 years old. The novel was written in the form of letters - in the epistle form (эпистолярная форма) -which were printed one after the other. When the letters began to appear the ladies of the time were excited. They did not need the old stories about far-away princesses; they could read about the feelings of an English girl, Pamela Andrews. It is a simple story of a good girl who receives the rewards of virtue. As the novel came out in letters (supposed to be from Pamela), the ladies could try to persuade Richardson to let Pamela do what they wanted ("Oh, Mr. Richardson, please, don’t let her die” and so on.) This story tells about Pamela who was a maid. Her master wanted to seduce her but she did not yield. As a result, the master fell in love with her and proposesd to her. So here is the reward for her virtue.

- “Clarissa; or The History of a Young Lady (1747-1748) – this novel is Richardson’s best one.This book is often called the first tragic novel. This is story of a young lady, Clarissa Harlowe, whose severe father wants to marry her against her will. So she decides to elope with her beloved, Lovelace. But then Lovelace betrays her and after all she dies an early death. This novel is almost eight times longer than an ordinary modern novel. But the book was widely read in England and abroad in Richardson’s days.

Both the novels, “Pamela” and “Clarissa” are written in the epistle form (эпистолярный, т.е. в виде писем).

 

Henry Fielding is the father of the English social novel.

- “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” (1749) is considered to be Fielding’s best work. This is a social and family novel and gives a broad panorama of the life at that time. It is a combination of the traditional picaresque novel and many innovations (such as the first person narration). Tom Jones is a boy, found at the house of Mr. Allworthy. He is brought up there with love and kindness. Then he falls in love with the beautiful Sophia, the daughter os Squire Western. He does several other things that Mr. Allworthy does not like and as a result he is driven out of the house. In London Tom has many various adventures and finally he meets Sophia there. So all ends well.

One more merit of the novel is that the author in the book elaborated a theory of the novel. In the introductory chapters to the 18 parts of the novel Fielding gives his ideas about how novels should be written: they should imitate life, show the variety of human nature, expose the causes of man’s shortcomings and indicate the ways of overcoming them.