Development of Prose in Neo-classical Age

Development of Prose in Neo-classical Age

 

    This period is called The Neo-Classical Age. Its implications are clear, social conventions are more important than individual conventions.

 Nitches says that,

 

“Reason is more important than Emotion,

Form is more important than Content”

 Poetry and drama of this Age were developed under the French influence. Stress was not laid upon the originality of the idea but upon the value of the form. The prose product of the period was at the highest point. In Prose periodical writing and novels were more famous, which were developed by Steele, Addison and Richardson. We have already noticed the rise of the two political parties, accompanied by an increased acerbity of political passion.

 The development gave a fresh important to men of liberty ability, for both parties competed for the assistance of their pens, bribed the authors with places and pensions, and admitted them more or less deeply into their counsels. The development of the prose can be more observed in the Neo-classical Age. It is sufficient here to point out that the struggle for political mastery led both factions to issue a swarm of examiners, guardians, Freeholder similar and publications. These journals were run by a bound of vigorous and facile prose writers, who in their differing degrees of excellence represent almost a new type in our literature.

 

 The literature of the country is remarkably complex, but we may classify it all under three general heads, The Reign of so called Classicism, The revival of Romantic Poetry, and the Beginning of the Modern Novel. The first half of the century, especially, is an age of prose, owing largely to the fact that the Practical and Social interest of the Age demanded expression. Modern newspapers like Chronicle, Post and Times, and literary magazines like The Tatler and Spectator, which began in this Age, greatly influenced the development of a serviceable prose style.Therefore,the development of the prose can be observed more in the Neo-Classical Age than other forms.

                           Major Prose Writers of This Age as given below

Ø  Jonathan Swift

 Ø  Joseph Addison

 Ø  Richard Steele

 Ø  Daniel Defoe

             Let’s discuss these writers of this Age in detail.

 1.       Jonathan Swift:

Jonathan Swift was born in 1667 at Dublin. His both parents were English. His condition was poor and his father died before Swift’s birth. The life of Swift is just a living tragedy. He was the Dominant prose writers of the Neo-Classical Age.Swift is The greatest English Satirist. From a literary point of view, the next important period of his life starts from 1710.Because his most famous works were written by him during 1710 to 1730.

 

His famous works

 Ø  The Battle of The Books

Ø  A Tale of a Tub

Ø  Gulliver’s Travels

Ø  Journal to Stella

Ø  The Drapier’s Letters

Ø  Cardenas and Vanessa

Ø  A Modest Proposal etc.

 

First notable work,” The Battle of the books” was written by him in 1704 but not published. Its setting is half allegorical and mock heroic. The central idea of the book is the dispute between Ancient and Modern Writers.

 

Being a Satire, “A Tale of a Tub” deals with the various churches of the day. It is a religious allegory, which is written in1696, but not published before 1704.In this novel the story moves around three brothers.Peter,who, who, stands for the Roman Catholic Church, Jack, who represents the dissenters, and the third brother, Martin, the personification of the Anglican as well as Lutheran Church.

 

“Gulliver’s Travels”, his longest and famous work written between 1720 and 1725 and published in 1726.this is an allegory, it has four parts.

 

“The Journal to Stella”, written chiefly in 1710-1713,which comments excellently on contemporary characters and political events.

 

“The Drapier’s Letters”,a model of political language and of popular argument.

 

“A Modest Proposal”, which published in 1729, concerning the children of Ireland.

 

  Jonathan Swift is the most original writers of the neo-classical Age, and one of the greatest masters of prose that is undeniable.Directness, Vigor, simplicity, mark every page. Among writers of the Age he stands almost alone in his disdain of literary effects. He drives straight on to the end, with a convincing power that has never been surpassed in our language. In his works we may easily find out the sense of reality, of being present as an eyewitness of the most impossible events, power of convincing others.

 

2.       Joseph Addison:

 

 He was born in1672, and, who educated at the charter house. He obtained traveling scholarship of three hundred pound year, and saw much of Europe under favorable conditions. In his Latin verses, Addison attained early distinction. These verses were highly praised at a time when praise for proficiency in such a medium was of some significance. His father was a scholarly English clergyman. While he was traveling abroad, the death of William and the loss of power by the Whigs suddenly stopped Addison’s pension. He became in turn under secretary, member of Paliament, Secretary of State. The rest of Addison’s life was divided between political duties and literature. About Addison, one Scholar remarks,

 

“A Life prosperous and beautiful a calm death;

An immense fame and affection afterwards for

His happy & spotless name”.

 

His some of works are

 

Ø  The Tatler

Ø  The Spectator

Ø  The Guardian

Ø  The Drummer

Ø  The Campaign

Ø  The Vision of Mirza

 

Ø  Public Credit

Ø  Rosamond

Ø  Cato etc.

 On April 12, 1709, Steele published the first number of “The Tatler”,a periodical that was to appear thrice weekly. Addison was a school and college friend of Steele.”The Tatler” finished in January 1711.Addison wrote 42 essays out of 188 in the first number of “The Tatler”

 In “The Spectator”, Addison rapidly became the dominating spirit, who wrote 274 essays out of a complete total of 555.

 “The Guardian”, which was begun by his friend Steele, later on Addison contributed 51 essays out of 175, which was successful one.

 The Prose comedy of “The Drummer” is said; with some reason. It was a failure one. It was written in 1715.

 

He wrote two Political allegories “The Public Credit”, “The Vision of Mirza” as a means of throwing his ideas vividly. Sometimes we may find half personal, half jocular-editorial communication in the writing of Addison.

 He wrote first, “Campaign”, praising the war policy of the Whigs in general and the worthiness of in particular.”Campaign” gave him a reputation as one of the major poet of the Age.”Rosamond”, which was a failure attempt of Addison to write this Drama. It was published in1707.He won more literary fame by the Classic tragedy “Cato”, which was the longest among all his poem.It is the best example of the rhetoric and fine sentiment.

3.       Richard Steele:

 Richard Steele was born on 1672, in the Restoration Age, but his most of the works were published in The Neo-Classical Age. He was in almost every respect the antithesis of his friend, a fellow-worker,-a rollicking, good hearted, emotional, lovable, Irishman.Sttele was in turn soldier,Captain,Poet,Playwright,Essayist,member of Parliament, Manager of a theatre,Publisher of a newspaper, and twenty other things, He had a varied and unfortunate career.

Richard Steele took education at the charterhouse, and then proceeded to the Oxford University, leaving without taking a degree like Joseph Addison. His next exploit was to enter the Army as a Cadet; then he took to the politics and became a Member of Parliament, and started to write for the Whigs. He was expelled from the House of Commons, and then for his benefit, he joined Tory; quarreled with his friend on the private grounds; issued a member of periodicals and passed away in the year of 1729.

 Some of his works are as given below,

Ø  The Tatler

Ø  The Spectator

Ø  The Guardian

Ø  The Englishman

Ø  The Reader

Ø  The Lying Lover

Ø  The Conscious Lover.

Ø  The Plebeian

Ø  The Funeral etc.

“The Tatler”, Richard Steele published the first number of “The tatler”, on April 12, 1709, it finished in 1711.The second periodical “The Spectator”, it has been started by Steele on December 1712.Moreover, and he contributed 236 essays out of 555.

Firstly, Steele started to publish some essays by his magazines, “The Guardian”, which published in 1713.Steele wrote some prose comedies like “The Funeral”,” The Lyling Lover”,” The Tender husband”. Among them, the last drama was the reaction of the Anti-Sentimental comedy. several other short lived periodicals, such as “The Guardian”,” The English man”, and “The Reader”.

The aim of his essays was frankly didactic, he desired to bring out a reformation of contemporary social manners, and is notable for his consistent advocacy of womanly virtue and the ideal of the gentleman of courtesy, chivalry and good taste.

 

                    4. Daniel Defoe:

 He was born in 1661, who was the son of a London butcher named foe. He became a soldier, and then took to journalism. He worked for both the parties like The Whigs and The Tories, by whom he was frequently employed in obscure and questionable work.

Some of his creations are:

Ø  Robinson Crusoe

Ø  Moll Flanders

Ø  Colonel Jacque

Ø  Journal to steela

Ø  Roxana

Ø  The memories of Cavalier

Ø  Captain Singleton etc

Daniel Defoe turned out a mass of political tracts and pamphlets.defoe was famous for his political writings. He wrote more remarkable novels than any other writer of the same Age. At the head of the list stands prose work “Robinson Crusoe”, one of the few books in any literature, which has held its popularity undiminished foe nearly two centuries.”Robinson crusoe”, as a better treatise on education than anything which Aristotle or The Moderns have ever written. His works in fiction were all produced in the later parts of his life, at almost incredible speed. First came “Robinson Crusoe”, then “Duncan Campbell”, “Memories of a Cavalier”, and “Captain Sigleton”, these all three books were appeared between 1720 to 1722.

 Conclusion:

 At last, we may say that thee all writers like Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Daniel Defoe etc.leading prose writers of a very high quality in the Neo-Classical Age. They all contributed a lot to develop prose as a major form of Literature.