Neoclassical
In the world of writing, the neoclassical period was long, from 1660-1798. Literature in the this period was broken up into three different categories: the restoration period (1660-1700), the Augustan period (1700-1750), and the Age of Johnson (1750-1798). Writers in this period typically tried to mimic the writings of ancient Greece and Rome. In this period, a great deal of people were literate. In fact, people during this time would often study the dictionary and everyone took the English language and grammar very seriously. Being witty and clever were also personality traits that were much admired in that time. Because of this, most of the types of neoclassical writing (listed below) had some sort of humor or witty characters in it. Writings in this time is all about structure, order, and logic. This is to offset the previous writings of the Renaissance.
Some types of writing in the neoclassical period were:
Some influential authors in this time period were John Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost; Daniel Defoe, the famous author of Robinson Crusoe; Jonathan Swift, whose most famous book is Gulliver's Travels; Voltaire, who wrote lots of poems and other writings, especially of the philosophical kind; and perhaps the most famous of all: Jane Austen. Austen is known for her romantic and witty books about lovely heroines. Her works include Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.
Some types of writing in the neoclassical period were:
- Parody
- Essays
- Satire
- Diaries
- Letters
- Fables
- Essays
- Melodrama
- Rhyming with couplets
Some influential authors in this time period were John Milton, who wrote Paradise Lost; Daniel Defoe, the famous author of Robinson Crusoe; Jonathan Swift, whose most famous book is Gulliver's Travels; Voltaire, who wrote lots of poems and other writings, especially of the philosophical kind; and perhaps the most famous of all: Jane Austen. Austen is known for her romantic and witty books about lovely heroines. Her works include Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion.
Romantic
This style of writing was more focused on the individuals than the actually society. Most stories were sad and tragic. The "Romantic" time in literature was not technically established until later. At the time, none of the writers thought of themselves as "romantic" authors. Despite that, most writers in this period agreed that something big was coming. Pieces from this time are extremely emotional, with a strong emphasis on feelings.
There is a lot more variety in the Romantic period than the Neoclassical. It is hard to find a common theme in Romantic writings because there was little conformity in this period, particularly among poets. Poetry was the main form of writing in this period. The most famous of these poets include William Wordsworth, who traveled in France during the French Revolution, causing him to come sympathetic of the troubles of man and express them through poetry, and his most famous work is "The Prelude;" John Keats, who's known for writing "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode to Melancholy," and "Endymion;" Lord Bryon, who wrote the famous work "Don Juan;" and William Blake, whose most famous collections of poems were called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth wrote a volume of poetry together, entitled Lyrical Ballads, which was considered the beginning of the English romantic age. While Wordsworth wrote more poems in the book, most argue that the best part of the collection was Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
There is a lot more variety in the Romantic period than the Neoclassical. It is hard to find a common theme in Romantic writings because there was little conformity in this period, particularly among poets. Poetry was the main form of writing in this period. The most famous of these poets include William Wordsworth, who traveled in France during the French Revolution, causing him to come sympathetic of the troubles of man and express them through poetry, and his most famous work is "The Prelude;" John Keats, who's known for writing "Ode on a Grecian Urn," "Ode to Melancholy," and "Endymion;" Lord Bryon, who wrote the famous work "Don Juan;" and William Blake, whose most famous collections of poems were called Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. In 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth wrote a volume of poetry together, entitled Lyrical Ballads, which was considered the beginning of the English romantic age. While Wordsworth wrote more poems in the book, most argue that the best part of the collection was Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.