Literary Analysis of the Enlightenment Period and Romanticism

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During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the literary world witnessed the birth of the Enlightenment and Romantic Periods. There were similarities as well as very notable differences between the two. There were also two prominent voices that gained notoriety during each of these two periods. Voltaire is considered to be the pioneer of the power of reason and Rousseau is looked upon as a legendary figure of Nineteenth Century Romanticism. This analysis will evaluate the two eras, both writers and a literary piece.

The Enlightenment Era gave way to an age of reasoning. During this time, the writers were regarded as philosophers. They came up with diverse theories and possessed different points of view. Never the less, the philosophers were amalgamated on the basis of worldly, civilization, broad-based, and self-determination. (Gay, 3) The Enlightenment liberties were free of capricious authority, allowed free expression and exchange, consented to the fulfillment of individual aptitudes, permitted artistic reactions, and endorsed man’s right to self-determination. (Gay, 3)

Another recurring theme of The Enlightenment was happiness. Happiness was considered the most important factor of The Enlightenment deliberations. It was happiness in the present and nothing outside of that moment. Happiness was viewed as an entitlement that all men were privileged to have and only ignorance along with peripheral barriers could refute them. (Anderson, 367)

Lastly, church and government were also two foundations that served as ethical conductors for human manners during the Enlightenment Era. These foundations helped to restrain people’s ignoble proclivity. In other words, rules and guidance were needed to keep people on the right ...

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Works Cited

Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic theory and the critical tradition. London: Oxford U. P., 1953.

Anderson, M. S. Europe in the Eighteenth Century 1713-1783. 2nd edition, 1976. in the series, A General History of Europe, ed. Denys Hay. London: Longman, 1961.

Ayer, Alfred Jules. Voltaire. New York: Random House, 1986.

Cohen, J. M. A History of Western Literature. Baltimore: Penguin, 1956.

Gay, Peter. The Enlightenment: An Interpretation: The Rise of Modern Paganism. N.Y.: Vintage, 1968.

James, Lawall, Patterson, Spacks, Thalman. The Norton Anthology Western Literature. Eighth Edition. Volume 2. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006.

Mason, Hadyn. European Masters: Voltaire. London: Hutchinson, 1975.

Rousseau, Jean Jacques. Confessions--1765 - 1770. Penguin: published posthumously in 1781, trans. J. M. Cohen, 1956.

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