The Enlightenment, also known as the Renaissance, lasted from the middle of the 17th century to the 18th century and is regarded as a time of intellectualism. The Enlightenment was inspired by France, the Renaissance by Italy, and Romanticism by Germany.
Renaissance/Enlightenment:
Print Culture is a term that describes the changes that occurred in literature with the invention of the printing press and printed books. In some respects, I think there is still a print culture in the globe since books are still written and are still read at colleges and institutions. However, we also rely on the video-based cinema culture of today. How could we fail to mention the internet? Due to the fact that e-books are now more widely available than paperbacks, books have experienced their own Renaissance. We moved into a literary technical culture that incorporates books but is now not solely reliant on them with the emergence of the motion picture camera, the computer, the internet, and the cell phone.
The Catholics and Protestants-During this time, Protestants and Catholics were sworn adversaries, with the Church of England and the Puritans fighting to establish whose teaching was "correct." These two branches of Christianity have chosen to coexist peacefully throughout the years. The majority of Protestant churches just ignore the Catholic Church and never mention them from the pulpit, in my experience as someone who practiced Christianity for the first half of my life. The Catholic Church has vowed to keep quiet regarding Protestants. They both nevertheless continue to hold that their form of worship is the "correct" one. This was my experience at a Protestant church, but it's possible that other Christian churches may have different experiences.
The Puritans-The slaves that the Puritans who immigrated to America allowed the colonies to have inexpensive (or free) labor. Even though slavery was eventually abolished, white racists who think they are better because of their skin color still exist today. Although slavery as a system has been abolished, the notion that some races are superior to others has persisted.
Philosophy-The Enlightenment's philosophy emphasized skepticism of religious doctrine. Skepticism has persisted, and today there is a significant atheist community and voice, and most public institutions and colleges follow a secular curriculum.
Types of Popular Literature during the
Enlightenment-Novels, reference books, journals, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, and earlier works like Shakespeare and Milton were all examples of popular literature during the Enlightenment. The careers of author, publisher, and bookseller were all prosperous. And one of the few ways for women to have a voice was to write a book.
Being an author is no longer a method to become wealthy due of self-publishing because there are millions of books online. Publishers can support themselves, but there are many of them since there are so many books. Only corporate bookstores have a chance of becoming wealthy book dealers. Due to competition from the large retailers, many independent bookshops have closed their doors. The internet and capitalism have updated and monetized the book industry.
Political Revolutions-Some nations have had revolutions since the American Revolutionary War in 1776 and the French Revolutionary War in 1789, including Asia, Russia, Cuba, etc. As communism crumbled, the Berlin Wall was torn down in Russia. Early feminism, or the women's movement, got its start during the Age of Enlightenment. Women pushed for more education, political office, voting rights, and property ownership. In America today, women have all these benefits. However, these rights continue to be denied in several underdeveloped nations.
The German Philosophers-Plato's Idealists were mirrored by German philosophers like Kant and Hegel. This idealism gave rise to the philosophical disciplines of epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, and aesthetics. Since then, extensive research and writing have been done on these topics. I've always been interested in metaphysics, but I had no idea that German philosophy was where it all started.
The 19th Century:
Political Movements-Slavery was successfully abolished thanks to the abolitionist movement, and the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention for Women's Rights marked the beginning of pressure on the US Congress and President. Women were granted the right to vote as a result of this protest-related pressure.
Industrial Revolution-The Industrial Revolution was the 19th Century's most significant advancement. The labor movement and factories followed. Labor parties still exist today, although employers can decide whether to incorporate them or not. Because their baristas campaigned for it, Starbucks just unionized: The Starbucks union, explained - Vox. There are factories all across the world, but the workers' rights are frequently low, and the working environment is unfavorable or even dangerous. Factory workers may receive little or poor pay. This component doesn't appear to have altered all that much since the 19th century. Perhaps because the decision of how to treat employees, as well as their salary and working circumstances, is made by the firm and not the employees.
Nationalism-The 19th century saw the rise of nationalism as Germany and Italy joined forces to establish a Nazi and Fascist state. We all know what happened next—the start of the First World War, which ended with the defeat of nationalism. There are nationalist leaders in many countries today, and for four years, a version of nationalism in America ruled the country. Following the defeat of that president in elections, his supporters swarmed the capital to block the inauguration of the new leader. Nationalism appears to be here to stay.
Romanticism-Writers drew influence from medieval romantic literature in the latter half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Among the authors of romance were Keats, Byron, Blake, and Mary Shelley. This literary movement was illogical, gothic, and magnificent in design, embracing imagination, nature, and even politics. These authors were drawn to the Revolutions while they were taking place. These authors helped to maintain the oral traditions of folk songs and fairytales when people from rural areas and small towns relocated to the metropolis in search of employment.
Since the Romantic movement ended in the 19th century, I don't think there has been another. Rap music and poetry, on the other hand, in my opinion, comparable to it. Rap is known as the "poetry of the streets" and, as such, uses music to communicate tales of oppression, fights against inequity, and black culture. Rap could be the genre that comes closest to Romanticism nowadays. Percy Shelley and John Keats, second-generation Romanticists, held that poets contribute significantly to society by "fighting oppression and promoting liberty" (Shelley).
References
A.H. Stevens. 2021. Literary Theory and Criticism. Broadview
Press.
R. Molla. 2023. How a bunch of Starbucks Baristas
Built a Labor Movement. Vox. The
Starbucks union, explained - Vox
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