Reason, Refinement, and Reform: The Literary Soul of the Neo-Classical Age

“From Satire to Sentiment: The Story of 18th-Century English Literature” 

 

This blog series has been written under the insightful guidance of Prof. Prakruti Bhatt, Department of English, MKBU. as part of an academic exploration of the Neo-Classical Age in English literature. Through this series, I aim to trace how the age of reason, refinement, and moral reformation.

1.  The Socio-Cultural Setting of the Neo-Classical Age through The Rape of the Lock and A Tale of a Tub

Introduction :

The Neo-classical Age (1660–1745), also known as the Age of Reason or the Augustan Age, marked a return to classical ideals of order, decorum, and rationality after the turbulence of the Renaissance and Civil War periods. Literature of this time reflected the values of an urban, sophisticated, and materialistic society, deeply shaped by reason, restraint, and satire. Writers such as Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift became moral commentators of their age, using wit and irony to expose social follies, moral corruption, and the misuse of reason. Their works — The Rape of the Lock and A Tale of a Tub — vividly capture the intellectual, religious, and class dynamics of early 18th-century England.

1. The Rape of the Lock: A Mirror to Aristocratic Vanity :

Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock (1712; revised 1714) transforms a trivial upper-class quarrel into a heroic-comic mock-epic. Beneath its polished humor, it offers a biting commentary on the artificiality, vanity, and moral emptiness of the aristocratic class in early 18th-century England.

a. The Cult of Superficial Beauty

Society during this period was obsessed with appearances, manners, and fashion — a world where virtue was often replaced by vanity. Pope mocks this through the character of Belinda, whose morning “rites” resemble a religious ritual:

“And now, unveiled, the toilet stands displayed,

Each silver vase in mystic order laid.”

Here, cosmetics and combs replace sacred objects, symbolizing how the pursuit of beauty and social charm had become the new religion of the age.

b. Politeness and Pretence

The Neo-classical elite prided themselves on refinement and decorum. Yet Pope exposes how these values mask selfishness, gossip, and frivolity. The mock-heroic style itself — imitating Homer’s Iliad — satirizes the disproportion between trivial causes and grand emotions, highlighting a society where appearance triumphs over substance.

c. Gender and Power

Pope’s poem also reflects the limited and ornamental role of women in polite society. Belinda’s “loss” of a lock of hair becomes a symbolic violation, suggesting how women’s worth is measured by physical beauty and male admiration. In doing so, Pope subtly critiques the patriarchal norms and gender-based double standards of his age.

2. A Tale of a Tub: The Satirical Face of Intellectual and Religious Corruption :

Jonathan Swift’s A Tale of a Tub (1704) represents the darker and more philosophical side of Neo-classical satire. Written as an allegory of religious degeneration, it also exposes the intellectual arrogance and moral confusion of an age that claimed to value reason above all.

a. Religion and Hypocrisy

Through the story of three brothers — Peter, Martin, and Jack, representing Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Calvinism — Swift satirizes the fragmentation and corruption of Christianity. The “coats” left by their father symbolize pure Christian doctrine, but the brothers’ continual alterations reflect how religious institutions distort divine truth to suit their worldly interests.

This mirrors the Neo-classical era’s religious instability and moral compromise, as faith was increasingly entangled with politics, materialism, and social status.

b. The Worship of Reason

While Pope celebrated polished rationality, Swift questioned it. His digressive narrator mocks the pretensions of modern learning and scientific pride, warning that reason without moral conscience leads to absurdity. The “tub” thrown out to distract the whale symbolizes the diversions society creates to avoid confronting truth, be it through intellectual pride or empty religious formalities.

c. Society’s Intellectual Decay

Swift’s chaotic narrative style — filled with digressions and mock-scholarly jargon — mimics the fragmented and confused spirit of the times. His satire exposes a society obsessed with progress, innovation, and self-display, yet deeply lacking in spiritual and ethical depth.

3. A Shared Moral Vision :

Though Pope and Swift differ in tone — Pope’s satire being polished and playful, Swift’s bitter and philosophical — both share a common Neo-classical vision: the restoration of order, morality, and balance in a world drifting toward excess and pretension.

Pope ridicules the aristocratic cult of vanity,

Swift attacks the intellectual and religious corruption beneath it.

Both reveal that the so-called “Age of Reason” was also an age of moral blindness, where reason itself became a tool of self-deception.

Through The Rape of the Lock and A Tale of a Tub, Pope and Swift transform satire into a form of social and moral critique. Their works expose the contradictions of the Neo-classical world — a culture of refinement built on moral decay, of rationality tinged with folly. In doing so, they not only capture the spirit of their age, but also leave a timeless message: that civilization, when divorced from virtue, becomes only a polished form of chaos.

2. The Neo-Classical Age is known for the development and proliferation of three major literary genres/forms, i.e. satire, novel and non-fictional prose such as periodical and pamphlet. Which out these, in your opinion was successful in capturing the zeitgeist of the age? Justify your opinion with relevant examples.

 My Opinion

In my view, among the three major genres/forms of the Neo‑Classical Age (satire, the novel, and non-fictional prose such as periodical essays and pamphlets), non-fictional prose in the form of the periodical essay/pamphlet was the most successful in capturing the zeitgeist (spirit of the age). It reflected most directly the social, cultural, intellectual and political currents of the age. That is not to say satire and the novel did not capture the age — they did, powerfully — but the periodical and pamphlet form was more immediate, varied, and mirrored daily life and the emergent public sphere in a way the other two did less directly.

Below I justify this view by (1) showing how the age’s features made the periodical/pamphlet especially apt, (2) showing how the periodical/pamphlet forms functioned (with examples), (3) briefly comparing how satire and the novel did their work and where they are slightly less immediate, and (4) drawing conclusions about why I place the periodical/pamphlet highest.

1. The Neo-Classical Age and why the periodical/pamphlet form fit so well :

Several features of the Neo-Classical Age make the non-fictional prose periodical/pamphlet especially apt:

• It was an age of reason, clarity, social manners, public behaviour, and the growth of the middle class. Writers were concerned with “manners, morals, society” as much as with high poetry or abstraction.

• The rise of print culture, coffee-houses, journals, and a more literate public meant that short, accessible, topical essays, pamphlets or periodicals could be widely read. 

• The interplay of politics, society, taste and commerce meant that literature was not only aesthetic but social commentary — non-fiction prose could intervene more directly in public debate, manners, and culture.

• The didactic impulse was strong: writers aimed to correct manners, instruct, inform, reform. The periodical form combines entertainment + instruction so it is ideal. 

Because of all this, the periodical/pamphlet becomes a kind of mirror of the age: it can comment on fashion, politics, commerce, emerging middle-class identities, everyday life, public culture. It is immediate and plural; more so than the high poetic satire or the emerging novel which often still is more artistic or fictional rather than directly topical.

2. How the periodical/pamphlet form actually captures the age :

Here are concrete ways this form worked and example references:

a) Periodical essays

• The essay-periodical as developed by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele (in The Spectator etc) tackled everyday topics: manners, fashion, commerce, social life, politics. 

• These essays are popularly regarded as “social documents” of 18th-century England. One source says: “These essays are regarded as the social documents on the 18th century England. … These essays provided amusement as well as improvement in social behaviour.” Example: The Spectator and The Tatler (1711-12 etc) show how they combined wit + moral instruction in plain prose, thus engaging the newly literate middle classes and shaping public culture. 

b) Pamphlets and short nonfictional tracts

• Pamphlets were a major method of publication in the 18th-century for topics political, religious, economic, moral. The 18th-century pamphlet collection is described as “the most common form of publication … Every conceivable subject and nearly every 18th-century figure … was discussed in a pamphlet” (poetical, dramatic, political and economic, religious) 

• Because they were short, cheap, topical, they could intervene into debates: politics, taste, society. This means they capture the live social and cultural moment.

c) Why this form is so “zeitgeist-capturing”

• It reflects everyday life (manners, consumption, commerce) as much as high art.

• It happens in real time (periodicals with serial issues, pamphlets responding to current events) rather than only retrospective or fictional.

• It gives voice to the rising middle class, to urban public culture (coffee houses, salons) rather than just aristocratic elite or purely imaginative fiction.

• It links literature with public life: taste, reading habits, social improvement, commerce, politics.

Thus for capturing the spirit of an age that is characterised by reason, commerce, public discourse, manners, and social change, periodical essays/pamphlets are extremely effective.

3. How satire and the novel compare :

Satire

• Satire is a hallmark of the Neo-Classical Age: the age of wit, irony, moralising, social criticism. Many sources note that “the predominance of satire is an important literary characteristic of this age”. Works like The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope, A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift are satirical and reflect the social norms, aristocratic vanity, religious hypocrisy of the time.

• However: while satire is powerful, it tends to address excesses, folly, and often uses stylised or elevated form (mock-epic, heroic couplets) that make it somewhat more abstract or aesthetic than everyday prose. It may capture broad cultural features but perhaps less the lived texture of public discourse, middle-class reading, emerging commerce, etc.

• For example, satire often addresses aristocratic society or extreme folly, rather than the more moderate, everyday progressive middle-class culture.

Novel

• The novel emerges in this period (e.g., Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe; Pamela by Samuel Richardson) and becomes a major genre for depicting individual psychology, social mobility, commerce, everyday life. The novel is indeed very important for the age — it reflects new subjectivities, middle-class concerns, domestic life, etc.

• But: it is still in early form in this period (in comparison with later nineteenth-century novel) and often confined to fiction, so while it captures aspects of the age, it sometimes does so in a still-emergent way rather than fully reflecting the public discourses of the moment. Also, novel reading was less ubiquitous in the very early part of the age compared to periodicals.

• Thus it has great relevance, but when it comes to capturing the immediacy of culture, periodicals/pamphlets have a slight edge.

4.  Why I favour periodical/pamphlet form :

• The periodical/pamphlet form is the one most embedded in the public sphere of the Neo-Classical Age: reading clubs, coffee-houses, journals, which are central to the culture of the time.

• It addresses middle-class culture, emerging commerce, manners, taste, in real-time, rather than only elite folly or fictional worlds.

• It is versatile: can tackle politics, religion, social behaviour, commerce, literature, all in short form and repeatedly (serial) so the public develops a reading habit and discourse develops.

• Satire and novel are indispensable, but they operate somewhat differently (satire often addresses extremes; novel often works in fictional world) — the periodical/pamphlet acts as bridge between high literature and public culture.

Therefore, for a blog focused on how literature captures the socio-cultural setting of the Neo-Classical Age, I would argue the periodical essay/pamphlet is the most successful.

Of course, one could argue differently (for instance, novel has the longest-lasting impact, or satire is most characteristic of the age) — but for capturing the spirit, the public-minded discourse of the time, periodical/pamphlet wins in my view.

3. The Development of Drama in the Neo-Classical Age :

With Special Reference to Sentimental and Anti-Sentimental Comedy

The Neo-Classical Age (1660–1798), also known as the Age of Reason or the Augustan Age, was a period marked by order, decorum, rationality, and a renewed interest in the classical ideals of Greece and Rome. In literature, this age was governed by rules, formality, and moral restraint, and these characteristics profoundly influenced drama.

After the Puritan ban on theatres (1642–1660), drama was revived during the Restoration period under Charles II. However, over time, English drama underwent a significant moral and emotional shift — from the witty and licentious Restoration Comedy to the moralized Sentimental Comedy, and finally to the Anti-Sentimental reaction that restored humour and realism to the stage.

 

I. The Background: From Restoration to Moral Reform :

1. Restoration Comedy (1660–1700)

When theatres reopened after the Puritan suppression, audiences were eager for entertainment and indulgence. Thus emerged the Restoration Comedy of Manners, characterized by:

• Wit, sexual intrigue, and social satire

• Aristocratic settings and cynical tone

• Focus on manners, fashion, and infidelity

Playwrights such as William Congreve (The Way of the World, 1700) and George Etherege (The Man of Mode) created works filled with sparkling dialogue, but devoid of moral seriousness.

However, by the early 18th century, the growing influence of middle-class morality, domestic virtue, and sentimentality — fostered by writers like Addison and Steele — made this kind of drama seem immoral and indecent.

As society became more disciplined and bourgeois in values, the audience demanded plays that upheld virtue and moral sentiment, leading to the rise of Sentimental Comedy.

 II. The Rise of Sentimental Comedy :

1. What is Sentimental Comedy?

Sentimental Comedy emerged in the early 18th century as a reaction against the immorality of Restoration drama. It sought to replace wit and laughter with moral instruction and emotional appeal.

Its central idea was that human beings are innately good and that tears, sympathy, and virtue could purify the heart.

Major Characteristics:

• Emphasis on virtue rewarded and vice punished

• Middle-class protagonists with moral sensitivity

• The audience is invited to weep rather than laugh

• Emotional scenes replace comic humour

• Moral purpose dominates artistic design

2. Key Playwrights and Works

• Richard Steele – The Conscious Lovers (1722) is the most representative sentimental comedy.

  • It portrays the triumph of virtue, modesty, and sensibility.

  • Steele’s aim was to “move rather than laugh,” making theatre a place for moral improvement.

  • Example: The hero Bevil Jr. is a man of perfect virtue and politeness who never falls into vice.

• Colley Cibber – Love’s Last Shift (1696) combines elements of Restoration and Sentimental comedy, showing repentance and moral reformation.

• Hugh Kelly – False Delicacy (1768) continues this tone of moral pathos.

3. Ideological Context

The rise of Sentimental Comedy mirrors the socio-cultural shift of the Neo-Classical Age — from aristocratic cynicism to middle-class morality.

It was influenced by:

• The moral seriousness of the age

• The rise of the bourgeoisie, who valued family virtue and propriety

• The rational optimism of Enlightenment thought, which believed in the perfectibility of human nature

Thus, Sentimental Comedy captured the new moral and emotional sensibility of the age but lost the comic vitality of earlier drama.

 

III. The Reaction: Anti-Sentimental Comedy :

1. What is Anti-Sentimental Comedy?

By the mid-18th century, audiences and critics grew weary of the tearful moral preaching of Sentimental Comedies. They longed for the sparkle, humour, and satire of earlier comedies.
Thus arose the Anti-Sentimental Comedy, a movement led by Oliver Goldsmith and Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who restored wit, laughter, and realism to the English stage.

2. Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774)

• His essay “A Comparison between Laughing and Sentimental Comedy” (1773) clearly defines his position:

  • Sentimental Comedy aims to make people cry by presenting virtuous distress.

  • Laughing Comedy, however, corrects folly by laughter and good humour.

  • Goldsmith favoured laughter as moral correction rather than tears as sentiment.

• Major Work: She Stoops to Conquer (1773)

  • Combines farce, humour, and character misrecognition.

  • Reintroduces laughter and naturalism.

  • Characters like Tony Lumpkin and Mrs. Hardcastle bring comic vitality back to the stage.

  • The play’s motto: “Let your morality be of that cheerful, useful kind, that makes virtue amiable.”

3. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816)

• Major Works: The Rivals (1775), The School for Scandal (1777)

  • Blends satire of manners with emotional warmth.

  • The School for Scandal exposes the hypocrisy, gossip, and vanity of fashionable society while maintaining moral seriousness.

  • Sheridan’s wit and vivacity mark the culmination of the Anti-Sentimental movement.

4. Features of Anti-Sentimental Comedy

• Return of humour, wit, and laughter

• Exposure of social follies and hypocrisy

• Emphasis on realistic characterisation over moral preaching

• Blending of virtue with vivacity, morality with mirth

• Reintegration of classical comic spirit within moral boundaries

 

IV. Comparative View: Sentimental vs. Anti-Sentimental :

Aspect	Sentimental Comedy	Anti-Sentimental Comedy
Tone	Emotional, moral, tearful	Humorous, satirical, lively
Aim	To move and instruct	To laugh and correct
Focus	Virtuous distress	Human folly and weakness
Example	The Conscious Lovers by Steele	She Stoops to Conquer by Goldsmith
Character Type	Morally perfect and idealised	Realistic, flawed, but lovable
Emotional Appeal	Tears and sympathy	Laughter and wit

4. A Critical Note on the Contribution of Richard Steele and Joseph Addison 

 

The early 18th century — the Neo-Classical or Augustan Age — witnessed the rise of prose writing that reflected the rational, moral, and social spirit of the time. Two names stand out as the chief architects of this new literary form: Sir Richard Steele and Joseph Addison. Together, they transformed English prose through their periodical essays, founding The Tatler (1709) and The Spectator (1711). Their collaboration not only changed the face of English journalism but also shaped public taste, manners, and morality, becoming the moral compass of polite society.

 

The Historical Context :

After the Restoration’s age of wit and immorality, England entered a period of moral reflection and social discipline. The rise of the middle class, coffee-house culture, and expanding literacy created a new audience eager for rational discussion, moral instruction, and tasteful amusement.

Addison and Steele recognized this need and gave England the periodical essay — a new literary form that became both mirror and guide to 18th-century life.

 

I. Their Major Works and Collaborations :

1. The Tatler (1709–1711) — Founded by Richard Steele

• Steele launched The Tatler under the pseudonym Isaac Bickerstaff.

• His aim was “to enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality.”

• The paper mixed news, gossip, and essays on manners and conduct.

• It was published three times a week and soon became immensely popular in London coffee houses.

• Steele’s tone was often warm, personal, and humane, focusing on everyday life, fashion, love, and virtue.

2. The Spectator (1711–1712; revived 1714) — Jointly run by Addison and Steele

• The Spectator refined and expanded the periodical form.

• Addison and Steele introduced the fictional Spectator Club, featuring characters like Sir Roger de Coverley, Will Honeycomb, and Captain Sentry — realistic figures representing various social classes.

• Each issue was a moral and social essay, using humour and reason to guide readers toward good taste and virtue.

• The motto of The Spectator was:

  “To enliven morality with wit, and to temper wit with morality.”

Through these essays, they gave the English reading public something entirely new — literature that was instructive, delightful, and socially useful.

 

II. Contribution of Richard Steele

1. Founder of the Periodical Essay

Steele was the pioneer who first realised that literature could be both popular and moral. With The Tatler, he laid the foundation for modern journalism and social commentary through prose.

2. Emotional and Human Tone

Steele’s style was frank, emotional, and humane. He had a warm sympathy for human weakness and often wrote with moral tenderness rather than satire.
For instance, in his essays on love, friendship, and virtue, he presents a soft moralism that appeals to the heart as well as the mind.

3. Reflection of Middle-Class Values

Steele helped to shift English literature from the aristocratic wit of the Restoration to the domestic virtues and moral seriousness of the middle class.
His heroes were not noblemen but ordinary, virtuous citizens.
Thus, he made literature democratic, moral, and practical.

 

III. Contribution of Joseph Addison

1. Refinement of Prose Style

Addison perfected the English essay form. His prose was clear, elegant, balanced, and rhythmic, setting the standard for modern English style.
Dr. Samuel Johnson later remarked:

“Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.”

2. The Moralist and Philosopher

Addison was the philosopher of everyday life. Through The Spectator, he sought to “make virtue fashionable.”
He moralized on topics like marriage, religion, vanity, and manners, promoting rational piety and good sense rather than fanaticism or austerity.

3. Creator of Sir Roger de Coverley

One of Addison’s greatest literary achievements was the creation of Sir Roger de Coverley, a gentle, humorous, and benevolent Tory country gentleman.
Sir Roger symbolizes the ideal balance between old-world virtue and modern refinement.
Through him, Addison combined characterisation, humour, and moral reflection — making The Spectator not just instructive but charmingly human.

 IV. Joint Impact and Literary Legacy

1. The Moral Reformation of Society

Addison and Steele made literature a moral force. They transformed the press from a vehicle of party politics into an instrument of social reform.
Their essays helped shape the manners, language, and values of the rising middle class — particularly women, who were a significant part of The Spectator’s readership.

2. Development of Modern Prose and Journalism

Their periodicals were forerunners of modern magazines, newspapers, and essays.
By addressing contemporary life with wit and grace, they bridged the gap between literature and journalism, influencing later writers such as Samuel Johnson, Goldsmith, and Charles Lamb.

3. Influence on English Morality and Taste

Addison and Steele taught people how to think, feel, and behave in civilized society.
They promoted:

• Politeness and moderation

• Virtue blended with humour

• Rational religion and moral decorum

They helped establish the English ideal of the “gentleman” — educated, virtuous, and reasonable.

Conclusion :

The Neo-Classical Age stands as a defining chapter in English literary history—a period where reason replaced excess, wit became a weapon of truth, and literature evolved into a guide for moral and social refinement. From the polished satire of Pope and Swift to the moral prose of Addison and Steele, and from the transformation of drama through sentimental and anti-sentimental comedies, the age reflected a society in search of balance between intellect and emotion, tradition and change. Its writers not only captured the spirit of their age (the zeitgeist) but also laid the foundation for modern thought, journalism, and aesthetic taste. Through their works, they turned literature into both a mirror and mentor—a reflection of life’s follies and a reformer of human conduct. The Neo-Classical era thus remains a timeless reminder that art and morality, reason and imagination, can coexist in perfect harmony.

References :

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McCutcheon, Roger P. Modern Language Notes, vol. 42, no. 2, 1927, pp. 126–126. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2914568.Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

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