Neoclassicism

:For information about the economic theory, see neoclassical economics.

Literary neoclassicism

The arts do not always march in step, and "neoclassicism" in English literature is associated with the "Augustan" writers of the early 18th century, all the heirs of John Dryden and Milton. The giant among their inspiring Latin classics was Virgil. Major writers of the period have included Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope. The ensuing period of "Romantic" writers had its origins at the height of neoclassicism in the visual arts, about 1800.

Related Topics:
John Dryden - Milton - Virgil - Daniel Defoe - Jonathan Swift - Alexander Pope

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In France, the hallmar of neoclassicism is the theater of Jean Racine, with his balanced lines of verse, restraint in emotion, refinement in diction, without excesses, his artistic consistency, so that the tragic tone was not offset by moments of realism or humor (as in Shakespeare), and his formal adherence to the "classical unities" extracted from Aristotle's Poetics.

Related Topics:
Jean Racine - Classical unities - Aristotle - Poetics

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In 1786, the German literary master Goethe ended his proto-Romantic Sturm und Drang period with his trip to Italy (recounted in his 1817 work, Italienische Reise). Afterwards, he and colleague Schiller emulated the themes and sensibility of Greek tragedy in works like Iphigenia auf Tauris (Iphigenia at Tauris), Römische Elegien (Roman Elegies), and Faust. Neo-Classical themes also dominated the work of German poet Hölderlin.

Related Topics:
Goethe - Sturm und Drang - Italienische Reise - Schiller - Greek tragedy - Iphigenia auf Tauris - Römische Elegien - Faust - Hölderlin

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