Eighteenth Century is the Age of Prose Reason: An Advancement of Human Mind

Introduction: "Age of Prose Reason"

The 18^th century viewed as a whole has a distinctive character. It is definitely the Age of understanding, the age of enlightenment, where a literature which had become pellucid (clear) began to diffuse knowledge among the growing public. The supremacy of reason was unchallenged – there reigned a general belief in the advancement of human mind. This flourishing of enlightened idea and the escalation of reason and logical thought found its best articulation through the triumph of English prose in the 18^th century. As such, the 18^th century has often been designated as "Age of Prose Reason."

This era, also known as the Enlightenment, was characterized by a remarkable shift in intellectual thought and a renewed emphasis on reason, logic, and empirical evidence. During this period, prominent philosophers, writers, and thinkers championed the power of rationality and sought to advance human knowledge through scientific inquiry and critical thinking. The Age of Prose Reason marked a significant departure from the preceding era's reliance on tradition, authority, and superstition, and it laid the foundation for modern scientific, political, and social thought.

Widespread Promotion of Rationalism

One of the key features of the Age of Prose Reason was the widespread promotion of rationalism. Rationalism, as an epistemological stance, asserts that reason is the primary source of knowledge and truth. It posits that through the exercise of reason, human beings can understand and comprehend the world around them, uncover universal truths, and develop logical systems of thought. This emphasis on reason led to a profound transformation in various fields of study, including philosophy, science, politics, and literature.

Empirical Observation and Experience

In the realm of philosophy, thinkers such as René Descartes, John Locke, and Immanuel Kant played pivotal roles in shaping the Age of Prose Reason. Descartes, known for his famous maxim "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), emphasized the power of human reason as the foundation of knowledge. He argued that by doubting everything and engaging in systematic doubt, individuals could arrive at certain knowledge. Locke, on the other hand, focused on the role of empirical observation and experience in acquiring knowledge. He proposed that the mind is a tabula rasa, a blank slate, upon which sensory experiences imprint ideas. Kant sought to reconcile rationalism and empiricism by asserting that knowledge is shaped by both innate cognitive structures and sensory experiences. These philosophical developments propelled the idea that human reason is a potent tool for understanding the world.

Scientific Progress

Scientific progress also flourished during the Age of Prose Reason. Prominent figures such as Isaac Newton and Carl Linnaeus revolutionized the fields of physics and biology, respectively, through their application of reason and systematic inquiry. Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation, formulated through rigorous experimentation and mathematical calculations, laid the foundation for classical mechanics. Linnaeus, through his work in taxonomy and classification, introduced a systematic method for categorizing and understanding the natural world. These scientific advancements demonstrated the power of reason in uncovering the laws that govern the physical universe.

Political Thought and Governance

The Age of Prose Reason also witnessed significant developments in political thought and governance. The Enlightenment thinkers sought to challenge traditional notions of absolute monarchy and divine right, advocating for the principles of individual rights, separation of powers, and social contract theory. The writings of philosophers such as John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau provided intellectual frameworks for the establishment of modern democratic systems. These thinkers argued that political authority should be based on reason, consent, and the pursuit of the common good, rather than on hereditary privilege or religious dogma.

Literature and Literary Criticism

Literature and literary criticism also underwent a transformation during the Age of Prose Reason. The emphasis on reason and rationality led to a shift away from the highly ornamental and allegorical style of the preceding Baroque period. Writers such as Jonathan Swift, Voltaire, and Samuel Johnson adopted a more direct and accessible prose style to convey their ideas and critique society. Swift's satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels" critiqued human follies and explored political and social issues of the time. Voltaire's works, such as "Candide," challenged religious intolerance and championed the power of reason. Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" paved the way for linguistic enquiry. 

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift’s works are a monstrous satire on humanity.  Swift, who hated all shams, wrote, with a great show of learning famous Bicerstaff Almanac containing “Predictions for the year 1708 was determined by the emerging states,” which first brought sift into prominence This work appeared under the pseudonym of Isaac Bickerstaff was preeminently focus because of his satiric worlds . Ligaments any case of hypocrisy or by notice , he sets up a remedy which is atrocious , and defuse his plan with such seriousness that the satire overwhelms the readers with a sense of monstrous falsity . Swift’s two greatest satires are A Tale of a Tub and Gulliver’s Travels . The Tale began as a grim exposure of the alleged weaknesses of three principle forms of religion beliefs, catholic, Lutheran and Christin as opposed to the Anglican; put it ended in a satire upon all science and philosophy. In Gulliver’s Travels the practice grows more unbearable strangely enough , this book upon which swifts’ literary fame generally rests , was not written from any literary motive , but rather as an outlet of the author’s own bitterness , against fate and human society .

Joseph Addison 

Like swift, Joseph Addison despised shams, but unlike him he never lost faith in humanity; and in all his satires, these is a gentle kindness which makes one think letter of his fellowmen even when he laughs at their little vanities. Addison stripped off the mask of vice, so much upheld by restoration literature, to show its ugliness and deformity; put to reveal virtue in its own notice loveliness was Addison’s main purpose. Further prompted and aided by the more original genius of his friend Steele, Addison seeds upon the new social life of the clubs and made it the subject of endless pleasant essays upon types of men and manners. His journals The Tatler and The Spectator are the beginnings of the Coverly essay; and their studies of human character as exemplified in Sir Roger – De – Coverly , are a preparation for the modern novel . The most enduring of Addison’s works are Essays collected from The Tatler and The spectator. To an age of fundamental coarseness and artificiality his essays came with a wholesome message of refinement and simplicity. He attaches all the little varieties and all the big circles of his time not in substantial way, but with a finally ridicule and a gently humour which appears.

His Essays are the best picture we possess of the new social life of England; they advanced the art of literary criticism to a much higher stage than it had ever reached before; they certainly led English men to a better knowledge and appreciation of their own literature; and finally they gave us characters that live forever as part of that goodly company which extends from Chaucer’s county power to Kipling Huluancy . Addison and Steele not only introduce the modern essay but their character forfeiture, they herald the dawn of the modern novel.

Steele was a rollicking, good – hearted, emotional, lovable Irishman. He was one of the few winters of his time who showed a sincere and unswerving respect for womanhood. Even more than Addison, he ridicules irks and makes pursue lovely. He was the origination of The Tatler and journeyed with Addison in creating The Spectator – the two periodicals which did more to influence the subsequent literature than all the magazines of the century complied. Steele was the original genius of Sir Roger and of many other characters and essays for which Addison usually received the whole credit. But the majority of the cities hold that the more original parts the characters, the overflowing kindness, are largely Steele’s creation while Addison polished and perfected the essays.

Dr. Johnson

Dr. Johnson was probably the most significant intellectual stalwart of the time. His Dictionary and his Lives of the Poets are worthy to be remembered through both of these are valuable not as literature, but rather as a study of literature. The Dictionary as the first ambitious attempt at the English lexicon is extremely valuable, notwithstanding the fact that some of his derivations are incorrect. Lives of the poets are the simplest and the most readable of his literary works. As criticisms they are often misleading, giving undue praise to artificial poets like pope and abundant injustice to nobler poets like Milton, but as biographies, they are excellent reading, and we owe to them some of the best power picture of the early English poets. Bowell’s Life of Jonson was one of the most famous prose works of the century. It is an immortal work where , like the Greek – sculptures the little slaves produced the more enduring work than the Greek – masters .

Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke in famous for his best known political speeches “On Conciliation with America , “ American Taxation’, ‘The Impeachment of Warren Hasting’ and also for his famous book of prose Reflection  on the French Revolution which are still much studied as models of English prose . Characteristic of the classic age, they abound in fine rhetoric but lack simplicity. But his works reveal the stateliness and the rhetorical power of the English language and because of the poetic prose so rich in images and symbols and the musical cadence of his sentences, and also because of his profound sympathy for humanity and his purpose to establish the truth, Burke won a significant place in the History of English literature.

Edward Gibbon

Only Edward Gibbon remains to be mentioned, His famous prose work is a historical treatise, entitled. The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire spanning Roman history from 98 A.D to 1453 A.D. It gains little recognition because of his imposing style characterizing by the sinuous roll of his majestic sentences. gibbons style has been characterized as finished , elegant , splendid, rounded , massive , sonorous , elaborate , ornate , exhaustive etc . 

Novel Writers

The flourish of prose in the 18^th century like a tune is also evident in the rise of novel, bought into vogue by Richardson, Fielding, Smollett and Sterne. But since the novel is a distinct literary genre a discussion on the 18^th century novels remains outside the scope of this essay. As a whole it can safely be concluded that because of the growing tendency of prose in the contemporary satires and periodicals, essays which catered to the public tastes increasingly the 18^th century lonely triumphs in prose literature.

(The major prose writers of the age include Jonathan Swift (1667 -1745) Joseph Addison (1672 -1719), Richard Steele (1672 -1729) and Samuel Johnson (1704 – 1784). Other prose writers of significance are James Bowell (1740 – 1795), Edlemund Burley (1729 – 1797) and Edward Gibbon (1737 – 1794). )

Ardhendu De

Ref: 1. ALBERT. (2000). History of English Literature (Fifth Edition) [English]. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.

      2. A short history of English literature : Saintsbury, George, 1845-1933 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/shorthistoryofen00sain

      3. A history of English literature : Compton-Rickett, Arthur, 1869-1937 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/historyofenglish00comprich