Abstract
This paper examines the evolution in English literature through the 18th century in terms of style. The paper first describes how the century started with neo-classicism and ended with romanticism and explains that the latter can be seen as a revolt against the former. Neo-classicism is shown to be influenced by the rise of science, and the liberation in the arts brought about by the Restoration. The paper then charts how there is a gradual breaking away from the shackles of rationalism through the 18th century. The authors studied are Wycherley, Dryden, Pope, Gray, Burns, Blake, Richardson, Fielding and Bunyan.

From the Paper
"Even though tending towards popular sentiment, much of the literature accounted for so far remained beyond mass readership. The first widely popular book was John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. The Puritans suffered suppression and imprisonment since the Restoration. Bunyan composed the book in prison, an allegorical account of life's journey, with Biblical significance. It too employed the simplicity of style that characterized the age, even though it stood up against the general trend. To sample the sparse simplicity, the pilgrims encounter the allegorical place of vane worldliness thus: "Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the wilderness, they presently saw a town before them, and the name of that town is Vanity; and at the town there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair: it is kept all the year long" (Bunyan, 1965, p. 105). Journalism was the other route to the heart of the people. "

Tags:Restoration, Dryden, Pope, Gray, Richardson, Fielding, Bunyan

Abstract
This paper looks at some of the most important novels of English literature in the Age of Reason during the eighteenth century. The paper outlines Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe", Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", Henry Fielding's "Tom Jone", Samuel Richardson's "Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady" and Laurence Stern's novel, "Tristram Shandy".

From the Paper
"The Enlightenment was a stage in Western philosophy and culture which spanned the eighteenth century, and advocated Reason as the primary source of authority. England anticipated the rest of Europe by decapitating its king in the seventeenth century. In this sense, the task of understanding the character of English literature during the Age of Reason cannot be separated from the social and political context of the movement. Furthermore, it is important to identify the thinkers who influenced, and ultimately helped develop English literature in the eighteenth century. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was the overthrow which led to the decapitation of King James II of England by a union of Parliamentarians and the help of a Dutch army led by William III of Orange-Nassau who would become King William III of England. Despite the fact that the monarchy was restored, this episode created openness toward change which was exhibited not only in literature, but also as far as religion, or social order which was concretized in the transition of English society towards a bourgeois order. As far as their sources of inspiration, English Enlightenment writers were influenced by thinkers such as John Locke, Francis Bacon, or the Scot David Hume."

Tags:Age, of, Reason, Enlightenment, Defoe, Swift, Fielding, Richardson, Stern

Abstract
This paper explains that there is an extensive literature collection from an early Chinese period about homosexual love in private affairs. The author cites writers Li Yu, Shen Defu, Bian er chai and other sources, whose works describe many details of the lives of homosexual couples and relate that homosexuality was held in high fashion. The paper reports that the word for a homosexual, translated form the Chinese, is "favorite"; some other words, which became known for homosexual love were "male wind" and "linked jade disks".

From the Paper
"The ideal of the ration self, during the late Ming dynasty, was
attempting to know the qing, or sentiment and yu, or sexual desire in the Neo-Confucian concept; and qing was not accepted as an authentic form of self-expression important to life and moral. In literature, qing was intentionally hidden by sentiment from corrupting sexuality. Intermingling the qing and yu interpretively assigned morality to the allegedly pornographic text of the late Ming dynasty and the Qing dynasty and transferred desire into the bodies of the text and into the readers themselves, as some scholars have written. It is interesting to note that these supposedly pornographic texts were filled with sentiment as they were with sexual context."

Tags:marriages, lesbianism, erotic, acceptable, confucian

Abstract
This paper relates the way the main characters, Capitola Black, in "The Hidden Hand" by E.D.E.N. Southworth, and Eliza Wharton, in "The Coquette" by Hannah Foster, portray, in diverse ways,the progression of women in American society. The author points out that these literary works depict the struggles and victories of women as they fought their way towards progress and eventual liberation in the society. The paper states that, in Southworth's and Foster's novels, the role of women progressed by adopting masculine characteristics while maintaining their femininity.

From the Paper
"Capitola Black, or Cap, in the novel The Hidden Hand is an example of a 19th century-woman who adopts a masculine personality in order to initiate progress in the society. This is a practical decision to make on her part, since she has been aware that opportunities, especially job offers, are limited for women and abundant for men. The development of Cap's character in the novel is best embodies by a comparative analyses of the characters of Cap, Clara Day, and Mrs. Le Noir, which all embody the kinds of women existing during Southworth's time. Cap, as mentioned earlier, is illustrated as a feisty woman, working her way up in the economic ladder by disguising herself as a young man: " And so because I was a girl there seemed to be nothing but starvation or beggary before me!... I felt bitter against Fate for not making me a boy" Yes, sir, and the only thing that made me feel sorry was to see what a fool I had been not to turn to a boy before, when it was so easy! And from that day forth I was happy and prosperous!" ".

Tags:androgynous, opportunities, femininity, liberation, characters

Abstract
Eros represents a challenge to morality in the sense of the Confucian ethic. The principle texts are Tsao Hsueh-Chin's "Dream of the Red Chamber", Shen Fu "Six Records of a Floating Life" and Jonathan Spence's "The Death of Woman Wang".

Abstract
This paper discusses works by Ann Radcliffe, Jane Austen, and Mary Wollstonecraft and how each of the three contributed to literature in the late 18th century, when many writers sought to confront the role of women in society. The author examines how Radcliffe, Austen, and Wollstonecraft all approached this subject and the topic of liberation in their own ways, and compares the anonymous letter, "Terrorist Novel Writing" to Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey".

From the Paper
"A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Northanger Abbey, and A Sicilian Romance each offer a different glimpse into the political and social situation of women in the late 18th century. Also, they hold similarities in their beliefs of how improvements could, and can, be made in the lives of women, and all people. The three authors, Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, and Ann Radcliffe, could feasibly be called martyrs for their generation since they made such fervent attempts to liberate themselves and all women through writing."

Tags:austen, gothic, radcliffe, wollstonecraft, ann, mary, jane, northanger, abbey, feminism, vindication, sicilian, romance, catherine, julia

Abstract
This paper explains that the eighteenth century period of the English royal court and the British aristocracy represents an attempt to acquire the accouterments of classical antiquity, which led to their mass consumption of forms of art, literature, philosophy and even politics. The representation of political philosophy in British great houses, gardens and portraits, the author points out, was dictated by the political and social elites of eighteenth century England, which in turn were dominated by the aristocracy and gentry. The paper reviews the works of various artisans, such as the architect Robert Adams.

From the Paper
"Reuse of earlier styles occurred during the second half of the eighteenth century. Robert Adam (1728-1792) is regarded as the initiator of the Classic Revival. The spirit of the times encouraged greater interest in the past with a new attitude toward history. Interest in the past, in its history and monuments, increased as time went on, and the excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii (after 1748) gave it popular appeal. Adam's is considered by many to be the greatest architect of the late 18th century, and a leader of the neo-classical revival in England and Scotland."

Tags:stuart, romantic naturalism, post-restoration oligarchy revival

Abstract
This paper addresses the following question. The 18th century English writer Henry Fielding called the Odyssey "that eating poem." Focusing on specific passages, discuss food as a site of conflict, community, or cultural transaction in the Odyssey.

Tags:LITERATURE / ENGLISH LITERATURE, writer henry fielding

Abstract
Eliza Haywood and Henry Fielding both wrote 18th century novels which explored the social mores of high and low society at the time. What is intriguing is how they approached the subject of education, particularly through Haywood's "The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless" and Fielding's "Joseph Andrews and Shamela." The differing objectives to educating the sexes are explored as well as the possible consequences of obtaining an education are proffered.

From the Paper
"Education is indirectly explored in Haywood's "The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless." The heroine spends her formative years in a boarding school, "the governess of which had the reputation of a woman of great good sense, fine breeding, and every way qualified for the well forming of the minds of those young persons who were entrusted to her care. [Her father] was so well pleased with having placed his daughter where she was likely to improve in all the accomplishments befitting her sex." (Haywood, 9) Through the misadventures of Miss Betsy Thoughtless, Haywood implies that one of the reasons why a girl should be educated would be to enhance her chances of securing a good marriage (then the only means of climbing the social ladder or attaining an accomplishment recognized by society)."

Tags:society, schooling, equality, literature, novel

Abstract
This paper examines James Boswell's interpretation of the life and works of Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of the most important figures in 18th-century British literature. It attempts to show how Boswell not only provides an accurate portrayal of the literary giant's life, but also serves scholarly study on Johnson as a legitimate record of his scholarly thought and philosophy. This is done through different genres of first-hand knowledge, from correspondence, to conversation, to secondary information gathered from Johnson's colleagues, family and friends.

From the Paper
"As to the first proposed question, Does the biography accurately portray its subject in a fair and impartial light? Boswell's account seems to suggest the answer is an unquestionable "Yes." While the biography seemingly fails in being impartial, as Boswell was a member of Johnson's Literary Club and regarded his subject in the highest esteem, his record of Johnson's life most definitely appears fair. Impartiality can perhaps be disregarded in this case as Boswell was privileged with first-hand knowledge of his topic: "I had the honor and happiness of enjoying his friendship for upwards of twenty years; as I had the scheme of writing his life constantly in view; as he was well apprised of this circumstance, and from time to time obligingly satisfied my inquiries, by communicating to me the incidents of his early years" (Boswell 13)."

Tags:english, literature, literary, persona, 18th-century, club