CHAPTER IX. EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE
(1700-1800)his sympathy with the French Revolution, and with democ-
racy? Read "The Cotter’s Saturday Night," and explain its en-
during interest. Can you explain the secret of Burns’s great
popularity?
- Blake. What are the characteristics of Blake’s poetry?
Can you explain why Blake, though the greatest poetic ge-
nius of the age, is so little appreciated? - Percy. In what respect did Percy’sReliquesinfluence
the romantic movement? What are the defects in his collec-
tion of ballads? Can you explain why such a crude poem as
"Chevy Chase" should be popular with an age that delighted
in Pope’s "Essay on Man"?
17.Macpherson. What is meant by Macpherson’s "Ossian"?
Can you account for the remarkable success of the Ossianic
forgeries?
18.Chatterton. Tell the story of Chatterton and the Rowley
Poems. Read Chatterton’s "Bristowe Tragedie," and compare
it, in style and interest, with the old ballads, like "The Battle
of Otterburn" or "The Hunting of the Cheviot" (all in Manly’s
English Poetry).
19.The First Novelists. What is meant by the modern novel?
How does it differ from the early romance and from the ad-
venture story? What are some of the precursors of the novel?
What was the purpose of stories modeled afterDon Quixote?
What is the significance ofPamela? What elements did Field-
ing add to the novel? What good work did Goldsmith’sVicar
of Wakefieldaccomplish? Compare Goldsmith, in this respect,
with Steele and Addison.