Age of Reason c. 1700-1800
-Part of the “Enlightenment”
-Emphasis on finely crafted detail and order
-An ideal of the perfection of the individual and of society and vice-versa
-Materialistic instead of spiritual
natural laws govern human behavior
-Either it “is” or it “isn’t”
-American and French Revolutions
Age of Reason con’t.
Reason frees people from ignorance and superstition; thus they become enlightened, and enlightened people can perfect themselves as well as their community at large.
Romanticism late c. 1700’s-1900
Artistic/Literary paradigm valuing:
feeling > reason
art > science
extremism > moderation
nature > man made world
“Christian” themes as allegory
Therefore, the language is often color centered, poetic, and emotional
Originally a reaction to the Enlightenment’s/Age of Reason’s emphasis on the rationalization of nature, in art and literature. It legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority rather than State, Church, or Scientist.
Modernism: c. Early to mid 20th Cent.
Precise and concise
Topical references
Belief in science and technology
Breaking with traditions
Minimalist prose
