SHORT QUESTIONS EEG 4

SHORT QUESTIONS

EEG- IV

·       Mention a few important technological inventions which helped in the progress into the modern world.

The 18th century was part of the "The Age of Enlightenment," a historical period characterized by a shift away from traditional religious forms of authority and a move towards science and rational thought. The age marked the beginning of the first Industrial Revolution. Modern manufacturing began with steam engines replacing animal labour. The 18th century also saw the widespread replacement of manual labor by new inventions and machinery. Among technological inventions which helped in the progress into the modern world during the age of Enlightenment are steam engine, microscope, telescope, and barometer. 

·       Whom would you consider to be a pioneering figure of the Enlightenment in Britain? Why?

Many scholars maintain that the first major figure in the British Enlightenment was the political philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). Hobbes is best known for the Leviathan (1651), a lengthy work that explores the nature of man and justifies absolutist rule. Hobbes argued that human nature was inherently bad and that humans would remain in a constant state of war, vying for power and material resources, unless kept in check by an absolute ruler. He was of the opinion that human life is, by nature, 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short' and was pessimistic about the prospects for progress. Hobbes represented the pessimistic side of the Enlightenment and saw progress as the result of the suppression of man's instincts rather than the freedom granted to those instincts as the more optimistic British Enlightenment thinkers claimed. In terms of the theory of government, Hobbes contended that whenever people assume high political office, they will be inclined to abuse their position. Therefore, Hobbes believed a single absolute ruler is better than an oligarchy (a small group of people having control over a country) or democracy because an absolute sovereign's main duty is to provide stability for the society and if he fails at that task, people will replace the ruler with another. Influence of Hobbes over other Enlighten figures of Britain was far-reaching and so he truly deserves the pioneering figure of the Enlightenment in Britain.

·       Write a short note on the parodic and satirical fiction of the 18^th century England.

The eighteenth century is remarkable as a period in which the spirit of parody and satire reigned supreme. The names of all the important writers are associated with satire; in fact, their very greatness is due mainly to their greatness as satirists. The three most important writers of the age were Pope, Swift, and Dr. Johnson.-Whereas Pope and Dr. Johnson gave the English language some of its best verse satires, the second named gave it its best prose satires. But apart from this redoubtable triumvirate, the names of a hundred other lesser satirists can be mentioned. In addition to the regular satires, the satiric spirit peeps through other modes of writing, too. The novel and the periodical -paper were the two important gifts of the eighteenth century to English literature. These new genres, too, are exhibitive of the impact of the satiric spirit which was ubiquitous in the age. Some of the most delightful satire of the age is provided by the periodical papers of Steele, Addison, an'd their followers and the novels of Fielding, Smollett, and Steme. As a genre satire ruled the roost till roughly the third quarter of the century, when new tendencies appeared, to the detriment of the satiric spirit. The precursors of Romanticism found satire incompatible with their new sensibility. Satire naturally declined and since then up to the present day very few satires have appeared which can show the same brilliance as characterised eighteenth-century satires.

The use of the hyperbole, among other elements in Voltaire’s Candide, played a crucial role in the potency of satire. Candide presents a string of characters laced in exaggeration.  For example, the Baron's lady was not only a large presence, but she weighed a striking three hundred and fifty pounds.  Furthermore, the Baron's castle was considered a monument of prestige, "for his house had a door and several windows and his hall was actually draped in tapestry"..................................................................................................................................................

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