The first feature is the most vivid, open, incisive and thorough criticism of feudal political forces and churches. When we talk about neoclassicism, we say that although it exposes, criticizes and mocks the decadent darkness of feudal forces and religious churches, it has a premise that it supports kingship and praises enlightened monarchs. Those radical enlighteners (especially in France where neoclassicism prevailed) not only sharply exposed the decay and darkness of the feudal dynasty and the church, but also clearly put forward a historic call to overthrow the feudal dynasty.
The second characteristic emphasizes rationality, but this rationality is different from what neoclassicism calls rationality. The rationality advocated by neoclassicism has a strong feudal color, while the Enlightenment clearly put forward the program of bourgeois ideology theory, that is, the social ideal of freedom, equality and fraternity. It solemnly demands that everything that exists in the world be brought to the judgment seat of bourgeois rationality to judge whether they have a reason for existence. For the emotion corresponding to bourgeois rationality, it is not bondage but liberation, that is, the liberation of personal emotion. It respects individual freedom and dignity.
The third feature, enlightenment literature, whose protagonist is different from neoclassical literature. Most of the protagonists in neoclassical literature are nobles, emperors or court ministers; However, most of the protagonists in the enlightenment literature have become bourgeois and civilians. Although some enlightenment scholars belong to the bourgeois category, they can break through their own shackles and show deep sympathy for the urban poor and farmers.
The fourth feature is that enlightenment literature is not quite the same as neoclassicism in form. Some enlightenment scholars still adhere to the artistic laws of neoclassicism, but quite a few have broken through these laws and formed their own creations in artistic form and language. For example, enlightenment literature has some forms that neoclassical literature does not allow or has never had, such as epistolary novels and dialogue novels. Philosophical novels and so on. Their language creation is also very rich.
From several main features of enlightenment literature, it reflects the interests and demands of the bourgeoisie. The bourgeois revolution began in Britain. As you know, the so-called "glorious revolution" took place in Britain in the middle of17th century. This bourgeois revolution was very compromised and failed to complete the task of overthrowing the feudal regime. British enlightenment literature was born after the bourgeois revolution, and rose under the strong impetus of the British industrial revolution in the18th century, and continued to carry out the task of criticizing feudalism and criticizing all kinds of dark and unreasonable phenomena existing in the society at that time. But just like the revolution in this country, its enlightenment literature has too many soft roses. We should first mention Robinson Crusoe. This novel was written by Defoe in the early18th century. This is a story about adventure at sea, but it is very different from the story that Jason crossed the sea to capture golden fleece when we were talking about ancient Greece, and it is also different from the story that Odysseus learned that the sun set in Dante's Divine Comedy, and of course it is also different from the story that Columbus discovered the new continent. The purpose of Robinson's voyage is simple: he wants to buy back some slaves and settle them in his plantation in Brazil to develop his own industry. Unfortunately, he was caught in a storm at sea and drifted to an island where there was no one at all. Robinson's life on this isolated island is not legendary: as soon as he landed, he picked up some of his own goods and was very happy to see that the goods were still intact, including a whole bag of money. Although the money is useless on a desert island, he still attaches great importance to it and puts it in a very appropriate place. Every day on this small island, except reading the Bible, he prayed to God to help him out of the current predicament, and spent the rest of his time reclaiming wasteland and managing things necessary for survival. In a war, he captured a man and named him Friday. In fact, he is Robinson's slave. Later, Robinson finally returned to his hometown and heard that his plantation was not only safe, but also developed greatly. He became a rich man and almost fainted with joy. For Robinson, there is no legend in life, and there is no romantic story of love. He also got married and had three children. But this is a very common thing for him. He also wants to read the Bible, and he also prays to God, mainly hoping that God will help him and make him rich. In his life, it is his main wish to get the greatest wealth with the least labor and make himself rich through reasonable management and hard work. In Robinson, we see the emerging bourgeois spirit. So Engels said that Robinson was the first bourgeoisie in the world.
There are some very important writers in English enlightenment literature, such as Fielding, whose masterpiece is tom jones. Through the love story of tom jones, an abandoned child, and Sophie, the daughter of the squire, and their experiences of traveling around the society, the works fully exposed the dark and unreasonable situation of British society at that time. In addition to Fielding, there is also a writer familiar to students, that is, Jane Austen, a female writer. Her book "Pride and Prejudice" is widely known because it has been made into movies and TV series. It describes a gentry family with a low average level. There are parents and four daughters at home. The marriage of four daughters is the center of life. The core figure among the four daughters is the second daughter, Liz, a beautiful, intelligent new woman who values personal dignity and freedom. Her mother wanted to marry her to a stupid, selfish and greedy priest, and Li Ge resolutely refused the marriage. Darcy, a descendant of a noble family, is excellent in character, but very proud. He fell in love with Liping. This incident surprised the outstanding mother and her sister very much. They didn't expect Darcy to fall in love with a girl from a lower class. They hope that George can cater to Darcy and promote this marriage. However, Li Ge had to show her arrogance in front of Darcy. After many frictions and misunderstandings, the two overcame some prejudices, understood each other and finally fell in love. "Pride and Prejudice" exposes the hypocrisy and stupidity of British society at that time in a humorous and satirical style, and praises women like Lizzie who value individual freedom. The attitude towards aristocrats in the novel deserves attention. She wrote that Darcy and her eldest daughter's husband are both nobles and well-educated people. This harmonious treatment of nobles is very representative in English literature, which is quite different from French literature. In addition, the poems of peasant poet Burns are also excellent in English enlightenment literature and worth reading.
Enlightenment literature was popular from the second half of17th century to18th century. In the meantime, Germany is relatively backward among several big countries in Western Europe. 1789 When the bourgeois revolution occurred in France, Germany was divided into many small principalities and ruled by feudal forces. There seems to be no social conditions for enlightenment. However, there is a "hurricane movement" initiated by young people. The central slogan of this movement is one word: "Not lenient" means saying "no" to the reality of Germany at that time. This is an explosive, short but energetic sport. The leader of this movement is called Holder. There are two people who really have far-reaching influence, one is Schiller and the other is Goethe, who was contemporary with Schiller. Schiller is a poet and playwright. His masterpieces include Robber, Conspiracy and Love. On the title page of Robber, it is clearly written: "Down with the tyrant! "Engels said that Schiller's drama is a drama with political inclination. No matter "Robber" or "Conspiracy and Love", the political tendency is particularly clear. This is an important feature of the "rushing movement" in Germany, and it is also a major feature of German enlightenment literature, which is in sharp contrast with English literature. Of course, the explicit pursuit of political tendencies often weakens the artistic level of works. Engels said that Schiller's plays were "brief biographies of the times". "About Goethe, we have a special introduction below.