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British Library: Discovering Literature: The Turbulent 17th Century
The 17th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in England, marked by civil war and regicide. This article introduces the key events of this period, from the coronation of Charles I to the Glorious Revolution more than...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: The 'Stuff' of Tristram Shandy
Dashes, loops, wiggles, and blanks: this article investigates the visual oddities of Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rover: An Introduction
Aphra Behn's The Rover engages with the social, political, and sexual conditions of the 17th century, as well as with theatrical traditions of carnival and misrule. The article introduces Behn's play and explores how it was first...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of the Novel
This article explains how the novel took shape in the 18th century with the works of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, and Laurence Sterne, and how the book industry responded to the new genre.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: The Rise of Cities in the 18th Century
Cities expanded rapidly in 18th-century Britain, with people flocking to them for work. This article explores the impact on street life and living conditions in London and the expanding industrial cities of the north.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment's emphasis on reason shaped philosophical, political, and scientific discourse from the late 17th to the early 19th century. This article traces the Enlightenment back to its roots in the aftermath of the Civil War, and...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Frances Burney's Account of Her 'Terrible Operation'
The diarist and novelist Frances Burney was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1810 and wrote an account of her 'terrible operation' for her sisters. Jenni Murray considers why this is one of the most courageous pieces of writing she has...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Eve in Milton's Paradise Lost: Poignancy and Paradox
Eve in Paradise Lost is vainly vulnerable and evidently intellectually inferior to Adam. However, Sandra M Gilbert argues that, though Milton portrays her as a weak character, he also puts her on a par with Satan in her refusal to accept...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Andrew Marvell and Politics
Andrew Marvell was a poet, but he was also a politician and a civil servant at a time of tremendous upheaval. This article investigates how Marvell and his writing negotiated the civil wars, Oliver Cromwell's government, and the...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Georgian Entertainment: From Pleasure Gardens to Blood Sports
This article examines the variety of entertainment and leisure activities enjoyed in Georgian Britain.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Johnson's Dictionary: Myths and Realities
David Crystal looks past the myths surrounding Samuel Johnson's Dictionary to discover a work of remarkable precision, sensitivity, and attention to social and regional variation.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: John Dryden's Satiric Poetry
Ashley Marshall suggests that there is more to Dryden's satiric poetry than the expression of high-minded moral values. Trace how Dryden's personal vendettas motivated some of the cruder and more vicious attacks in Mac Flecknoe, and how...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Popular Politics in the 18th Century
Caricatures capturing public opinion and riots on the streets; this article discusses how the majority of Georgians, who didn't have the right to vote, engaged in politics and expressed their grievances.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Philip Pullman's Introduction to Paradise Lost
Philip Pullman first read Paradise Lost as a schoolboy and was dazzled by the sound of its poetry as he and his classmates read it aloud. Since then, he has become fascinated by Milton's tremendous powers of storytelling, and how he...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Newspapers, Gossip, and Coffee House Culture
This article explains how the coffee-house came to occupy a central place in 17th and 18th-century English culture and commerce, offering an alternative to rowdy pubs and more formal places of business and politics.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Neoclassicism
Writers and craftsmen including Alexander Pope, John Dryden, Jonathan Swift, and Josiah Wedgwood found inspiration in the classical period. This article explores how their works adopted the style, genres, aesthetic values, and subjects...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Letters, Letter Writing and Epistolary Novels
This article explores the real and fictional letters published in the 18th century, from the correspondence of Alexander Pope and Ignatius Sancho to Samuel Richardson's hugely popular epistolary novel "Pamela" and the works it inspired.
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British Library: Teaching Resources: Aphra Behn, the Rover: Carnival
These activities allow students to explore how Aphra Behn uses character types and tropes associated with carnival in "The Rover". Students can relate this to the play's context of production, and comic theories relating to the...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: Collection Items
Discover a wealth of original sources from the Restoration and 18th century period, including literary manuscripts, letters, first editions, playbills, maps, and prints.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to the Beggar's Opera
"The Beggar's Opera" was an instant hit and became the most performed play of the 18th century. This article explores the elements that made up John Gay's work, from its popular tunes and dances to its satirical targets and depiction of...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to "She Stoops to Conquer"
Oliver Goldsmith published several critiques of audiences and playwrights before writing a laughing comedy that was the triumph of its season and that continues to be performed today. This article introduces "She Stoops to Conquer",...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to Restoration Comedy
This article introduces the characters, conventions, and historical context of Restoration comedy, and explores what the genre has to say about gender, courtship, and class.
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British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to Evelina
Frances Burney's "Evelina" unveils the dizzying and dangerous social whirl of Georgian London, where reputations and marriages are there to be made and broken. This article investigates Burney's critique of fashion culture and the...
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British Library: Discovering Literature: An Introduction to 18th Century British Theatre
This article charts the growth of 18th-century theatre, looking at the new venues, stage technology, audiences, playwrights, and great actors of the age.