Lit2120 World Literature

Spring 2005

Enlightenment Studies will cover weeks 1 through 3 of the course.

Remember that weeks run from Tuesday to Sunday.

Withdrawal Date: Friday, 18 March 2005

Check the Assignments Page and the Discussion Forum regularly

Week 1: 11 January to 16 January, 2005
"Introductions"on the Discussion Forum. Along with a brief introduction, please post the Time Traveler Essay.

Assignment #1 Questionnaire due on Sunday, 16 January at 11:55p EST (see Assignments Page)

Week 2: 18 January to 23 January, 2005
Candide by Voltaire (520), Chapters 1-14. "Satire Rules" on Discussions.

Week 3: 25 January to 30 January, 2005
Candide by Voltaire (520), Chapters 15-30. "Why" on Discussion Forum (see the link below)

Assignment #2 on Candide due on Sunday, 6 February at 11:55p EST (see Assignments Page)

The Enlightenment period in Western Europe is normally seen to begin about the middle of the 17th century. It was during this time that the study of science, art, and philosophy blossomed to the degree that many in the upper classes felt the entire universe could ultimately be understood. It was a time that religion's strong political hold began to fade, as did the power of the monarchies.

Most of the literature was written for an mixed audience of aristocrats, government and military men, clergy, and educated “men of letters,” those who had little to do in life but discuss philosophy and play social games. This makes reading these works difficult at times. The audiences knew many of the ancient Greek and Roman works, and they admired their forms and the ancient culture itself.

The Enlightenment was a time of discovery too. The studies of medieval alchemists became systematic and patterns were detected in the workings of the universe. Scientists had discovered 10 planetary "elements" in our galactic neighborhood and the significance of the number could not be ignored. Newton's codification of gravity led more credence to the notion that the universe was ordered and understandable (the Great Chain of Being). Art became ordered too, of course. Though lyrical poems, like folk music, were "vulgar" arts, designed by an uneducated, passionate mind, higher arts were stylized and ornate. The more stylized the better. The epic poem and its myriad rules and styles was considered the ultimate form of poetry.

Art forms

The poetry and drama follow highly formalized structures: end rhyme, classical patterns, elevated language, common figurative language, etc. It is not just an imitation of reality, but an elaborate enhancement meant to communicate and instruct audiences in the ordered rationality of the universe.

Writers of the time knew the upper class relied on an attitude of ignoring the poor and starving masses. They saw the hypocrisy of the "metaphysical" arguments of sufficient cause when groups persecuted individuals (for example, if a priest suddenly came down with eczema, it could be sufficient cause to prosecute him for lechery -- sins of the flesh -- because God must have caused the skin condition).

Although writers observed the hypocrisy, it was difficult to comment on it, because most of their audience were part of the ruling class (Sir Thomas More, from England, was put to death because of his consistent written attacks on the existing political system). Most of them veiled their comments in such fantastic stories as Voltaire's Candide and Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Specific Discussion Link