The Cultural Revolution in England during the eighteenth century

In the late eighteenth century, England was going through one of its best moments. The Age of Enlightenment had penetrated deep into the hearts of millions of Europeans and Britain could no exception. Innate land of great scientists and inventors the field of literature, humanities and art could not be left aside. Let's start with philosophy. In this area highlights John Locke, English philosopher of the Whigs and creator of modern liberalism.
You may also consider the father of European philosophers and profoundly marked the thinking of the Enlightenment throughout the eighteenth century. For Locke man is a being with reason, and you can get to observe certain moral laws as laws. We do not go here to detail his thought, because it would take many paragraphs just say he inspired the not too distant: Social Contract Rousseau, Human Rights and the American Revolution.
Not to mention the French Revolution and the Gauls generally illustrated. Although it may sound contradictory, Locke had more impact in France than in England and this was due to natural Gallic people need a little more freedom.

We also quote David Hume, Scottish, although with a large British soul. He published his famous Treatise on Human Nature only 26 years and is one of the pillars of the philosophy of the eighteenth century.

He was also a historian, and among his works we can cite for example the History of England; although his narrative, for some, is not impartial judging by his judgments, so takes a lot of credit. Another Scot, but British, global and historical fame and we can not ignore and friend of Hume, Adam Smith was considered the father of modern economics.The theory expressed here is considered the base and stem of economic liberalism, practically forging the foundation for transforming the economy a science. He spoke of capital, credit, trade, banking, global economic status quo, making a historical analysis and future. His phrase laissez faire or laissez-faire in reference to trade and rising capitalism should not have government intervention is considered a maximum for economic liberals. Not surprisingly such thinking is a cliche English nineteenth and early twentieth century, but what is up today. Nor should we overlook the English Ephraim Chambers's Cyclopaedia creator, published in 1728. All of a milestone for the time and considered the mother of all encyclopedias, including the French in subsequent decades.

English society was changing, and clearly was the most glorious of all the world. Rich, prosperous, often out of trouble continental Europe by typical border issues to be an island. Full of clubs, where you could attend competitions, concerts, recitals and others. It was the fashion center theater, music, acting, opera, literature and other arts. All this environment attracted characters from various parts of Europe and the world, one was Handel was born in Germany but later naturalized Englishman who moved to London where his works achieved great recognition. Italian operas also had great success and he was commissioned to compose some of his. However, competition made him go to Ireland, where he wrote a masterpiece called The Messiah. Their income, according to his will, were aimed at an orphanage in London.

Music must go to literature. The poet Alexander Pope, who wrote his famous essays on criticism, establishing rules for different genres as well as several pages devoted to literary criticism and theory. This made him an exponent of the field and a resounding writer of satire. Another representative of that time was the Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, well known for his Gulliver's Travels, that in his time he wrote them in order to be a political satire, but today, for things of history it is more a story aimed at children. Then we also have the essayists who published his work on literature and politics in newspapers like The viewer where two friends were the owners Addison and Steele. and clubs where constant discussions about human political science, religion and became. The club director Rogelio Coverley El Espectador was also great novelist.

So then we come to Daniel Defoe, English, celebrated author of Robinson Crusoe. His life, like many men of the letter was long suffering. Above all, I had to suffer bad deals that left him in debt, and after spending several hardships and jail time, decided to devote himself to journalism, becoming one of the first in the world to pursue that discipline. He founded his newspaper called La Revista, just four pages but considered the precursor of the modern day. The famous novel that would make him immortal came to a head recently when he was in his sixties, to meet a Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk who narrated his adventures but declined the protagonist bear his name. Daniel then put Robinson Crusoe, a name he had seen on a tombstone in his youth while hiding from the authorities.

From the literature we go now to painting. Until this time, reached the eighteenth century had not been featured English painters. One of the first was William Hogarth. Born in a poor household, began to take while going through some recorded sets up to its typical paintings in portraying a story, episode after episode. Something like a giant cartoon captured in pictures. Had a series: Marriage à-la-mode, which reflects the interests weddings. Practically it was a tragedy carried brushes. Because of this honesty in his art, had few customers. One of the favorite courtiers was Joshua Reynolds, something like the darling of the nobles. He founded the Royal Academy in England in 1769, and he was its first president. He soon became the best portrait that took London. As had studied in Italy, clearly felt his Renaissance Latin influences. Richard Wilson was another great English painter trained in Italy who painted landscapes, but did not have much success as there was more scope for portraiture at the time. Another great landscape painter Thomas Gainsborough was, although he defended the portrait becoming an adversary Reynolds, especially of trails and trees as favorite items. It was probably one of the most emotional English painters, and is considered the father of the English landscape. One of his followers was John Constable, who perfected the art landscape. Although I must admit, at least at this stage takeoff painting in England during the eighteenth century, portrait, continued to have the advantage. Among others we must also point to William Blake, poet and painter, and purpose of his oil paintings were quite strange, his drawings seemed poorly made, but intentionally because it was his style, and not come to like the court.

Now we return again to the letters.The Englishman Samuel Johnson published the Dictionary, an unprecedented work judging by the order of their creation; improve language and the correct pronunciation of the language. He was a dedicated writer of novels, essays and criticism. One of his best friends was James Boswell, who wrote The Life of Johnson, in honor of Samuel. It was another writer clean style, devoted and dedicated to the work of his life. Like Oliver Goldsmith, who wrote a seminal work of the era The Vicar of WakefieldLa.This led to actors and celebrities, actresses such as Sarah Kemble, specialist interpretations of Shakespeare arise. Another great playwright and writer was Richard Sheridan, known to the London nobility for his romantic adventures created especially to be carried scene. Comedies and other genres earned him famous among the Literary Club of Dr. Samuel Johnson, creator of the dictionary. Besides writer, Richard was also manager of Drury Lane, a famous London theater. Later he turned his eye to politics.

We then able to analyze all this great cultural awakening in England, which should not be interpreted casually, as the English only responded to a socio-cultural phenomenon of the era: the Age of Enlightenment. And of course we can not close this chapter without mentioning a superb work: the Encyclopedia Britannica. Its original founders were Andrew Bell and Colin Macfarquhar, with the advice of many scholars and intellectuals of the time. It was first published between 1768-1771 in Edinburgh.

As has become clear during the Age of Revolution and Napoleon, England would recover very quickly as we can analyze its great power status. In this country, we expected a glorious nineteenth century, with its own successes and failures.