2: Introduction to Enlightenment Literature
- Page ID
- 327979
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Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Traveling through time on the Spadina Streetcar (CC BY-ND 2.0; Erik Mauer via Flickr)
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the major historical and cultural developments of the Enlightenment; explain key concepts
- Describe the major conventions, tropes, and themes of Enlightenment literature; identify and discuss those features with regard to individual authors/works
- 2.1: Reader-Response Criticism
- This page explores Reader-Response literary criticism, highlighting the reader's role in interpreting texts and emphasizing personal engagement over mere summarization. It discusses the female reader's experience with male-authored works, specifically critiquing gendered perspectives, as seen in Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." The summary includes the evolution of reader-response theory, noting significant contributions and collaborative efforts in literary studies.
- 2.2: Video- Edwards and the Transition to Enlightenment
- This page explores the evolution of cultural models, highlighting influential figures like Raymond Williams, Edward Taylor, and Benjamin Franklin, particularly in the context of the Great Awakening. It examines the shift from traditional beliefs to Enlightenment ideas, showcasing how these thinkers impacted cultural transformation during their respective eras.
- 2.3: Video- American Puritanism (I)
- This page explores American Puritanism, focusing on themes like typology and key figures such as John Calvin and Arminius. It discusses philosophical concepts of materialism and idealism, contrasts phenomenal and noumenal experiences, and emphasizes the Puritan “plain style” and sermon structures.
- 2.4: Video- The American Enlightenment
- This page explores key themes of the American Enlightenment, focusing on figures like John Bunyan, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Locke. It connects their philosophies, including perfectionism and Deism, to important documents such as the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, it discusses logical principles like syllogisms, while noting some minor errors in the text.
- 2.5: Video- American Gothic (I)
- This page examines the shift from Neoclassicism to Romanticism, emphasizing significant works and themes. It covers Alexander Pope's "Windsor-Forest," pastoralism, and the graveyard school, notably Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." It also discusses Wordsworth's preface to "Lyrical Ballads," contributions by William Cullen Bryant, and the concept of the Doppelgänger, shedding light on the evolution of literary thought in this transformative period.