18th+Century+British+Literature

18th Century British Literature Overview The English Civil War  Consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians. The first and second civil wars rutted the supporters of King Charles I against the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of King Charles II ans supporters of the Rump Parliament. The civil war ended with the Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Worcester on September 3rd 1651. The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule in the land occupied by modern-day England and wales after the English civil war. It began with the regicide of Charles I in 1649 and ended with the restoration of Charles II in 1660. The civil war led to the trial and execution of Charles I, and the wars established a precedent that british monarchs could not govern without the consent of Parliament, although this concept became firmly established only with the deposition of James II of England The united Kingdom of Great Britain was born on May 1st 1707, shortly after the parliaments of Scotland and England ratified the Treaty of Union of 1706 by each approving Acts of Union combining the two parliaments and the two royal titles. The Acts of Union took affect in 1707, unition the separate Parliaments and crowns of England and Scotland and forming the single kingdom of Great Britain. The British Empire  During the 1760s and 1770s, relations between the thirteen colonies and Britain became increasingly strained, primarily because of resentment of the British Parliament's ability to tax American colonists without their consent. Disagreement turned to violence and in 1775 the american war independance began. The following year, the colonists declared the independance of the United States and with economical and naval assistance from France, would go on to win the war in 1783. The loss of the United States, at the time Britain's most populous colony, is seen by historians as the event defining the transition between the "first" and "second" empires,in which Britain shifted its attention away from the Americas to Asia, the Pacific and later Africa. Close to the 19th century, Britain was challenged again by France under Napoleon, that represented a contest of ideologies between the two nations. It was not only Britain's position on the world stage that was threatened: Napoleon threatened invasion of Britain itself, and with it, a fate similar to the countries of continental Europe that his armies had overrun. The Napoleonic Wars were therefore ones that Britain invested large amounts of capital and resources to win. French ports were blockaded by the Royal Navy, which won a decisive victory over the French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805. Major Themes: “My Master Thomas More would give anything to anyone. Some say that’s good and some say that’s bad, but I say he can’t help it—and that’s bad. . . because some day someone’s going to ask him for something that he wants to keep; and he’ll be out of practice.”
 * Began in 1660, and ended in 1785. Major events for this time era are, the English Civil War, the Treaty of Union, and the formation of the first British Empire.

Minor themes. “O rose thou art sick. The invisible worm, that flies in the night in the howling storm” “When my mother died I was very young, and my father sold me while yet my tongue, could scarcely cry weep weep weep, so your chimneys I swept & not soot I sleep” “I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.” “I went to the Garden of Love. And saw what I never had seen: A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">“How can the bird that is born for joy, Sit in a cage and sing. How can a child when fears annoy. But droop his tender wing. And forget his youthful spring.” <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Major Authors:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Peter Ackroyd
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Ralph Arnold
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Helen Ashton
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Beryl Bainbridge
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">James Barke
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Philip Baruth
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Alex Beecroft
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Jessica Blair
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Jane Borodale
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">George Bowering
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">John Boyne
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">John Buchan
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Clare Clark
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Richard Condon
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Eilis Dillon