János Barcsák, Márta Pellérdi

English literature 1660-1900


The Augustan Response to the Rise of the Middle Class

The rise of the middle class was based on thoroughly problematic ideological foundations. On one hand bourgeois ideology preached moral rectitude, but on the other – as Mandeville so amusingly points out – it strengthened and indeed thrived on moral corruptions. It taught Christian righteousness and selfless mercifulness towards one’s neighbour, but at the same time it was based on the utterly selfish drive to maximise profit. In short, notwithstanding the pious ideological claims of the middle class, the logic of capitalism, upon which the success of the middle class rested, simply excluded all sympathy towards one’s neighbour and inevitably marginalized certain groups or layers of society (for example women). As is so precisely analysed in Defoe’s novels after Robinson Crusoe, these marginalized groups were then forced to turn to fraud or moral corruption for their bare survival.

English literature 1660-1900

Tartalomjegyzék


Kiadó: Akadémiai Kiadó

Online megjelenés éve: 2018

ISBN: 978 963 454 261 2

A history of the English literature is presented here, with a scope on the years 1660 to 1900. The book is written in three main parts; beginning with the Restoration Period of the 17th century, followed by the first, and second halves of the 18th century. Thus, a sequential development of literary genres is presented, with explorations of the key figures and texts which drove these. The book also synthesises the historical, cultural and sociological background which gave rise to this literature, and allows the reader to effectively contextualise these.

Hivatkozás: https://mersz.hu/barcsak-pellerdi-english-literature-1660-1900//

BibTeXEndNoteMendeleyZotero

Kivonat
fullscreenclose
printsave