Explore the Augustan Age (1700–1745) in English literature: major writers, works, satire, heroic couplet, and the rise of the English novel.
Augustan Age in English Literature (1700–1745): Writers, Works & Features
✍️ Introduction (SEO-friendly)
The Augustan Age in English literature (1700–1745) is one of the most significant periods in literary history, often called the Golden Age of Satire and Prose. Named after Augustus Caesar’s Rome, this age reflected order, balance, reason, and imitation of classical ideals. Writers like Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, and Daniel Defoe shaped this era with their mastery of satire, essays, and the rise of the modern English novel. The Augustan Age also marked the growth of periodicals, journalism, coffee-house culture, and middle-class readership, making literature more social, realistic, and accessible.
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The Augustan Age in English literature roughly spans 1700–1745.
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Named after Augustus Caesar’s reign in Rome, when literature (esp. poetry) flourished.
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Writers compared themselves to classical authors like Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and Juvenal.
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It is the second phase of the Neoclassical Age, following the Restoration Age.
1. Political Context
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The age coincides with the reigns of:
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William III & Mary II (till 1702) → end of the Restoration Age.
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Queen Anne (1702–1714) → last of the Stuarts.
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George I (1714–1727) and George II (1727–1760) of the Hanoverian dynasty.
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Rise of constitutional monarchy after the Glorious Revolution (1688).
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Whigs vs. Tories → strong political rivalry; literature often reflected party politics.
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Robert Walpole (Whig leader) became the first de facto Prime Minister of Britain.
2. Social Context
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Growth of the middle class due to trade, commerce, and industry.
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Expansion of coffee houses and clubs (like Button’s, Scriblerus Club, Kit-Cat Club) as centers of discussion, culture, and literary criticism.
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Urbanization – London became the hub of social, political, and literary activity.
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Increasing literacy rates → higher demand for newspapers, magazines, and books.
3. Economic Context
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Development of commerce, banking, and trade (both domestic and colonial).
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England became a global naval and colonial power.
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Rise of print culture → books, pamphlets, and journals became cheap and accessible.
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Patronage system declined → writers now catered to a wider reading public.
4. Religious Context
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Continued tension between Protestants and Catholics.
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Act of Settlement (1701) secured Protestant succession.
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Religion was often discussed in sermons, pamphlets, and essays, but the age emphasized reason over religious passion.
5. Intellectual & Cultural Context
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The Age of Reason / Enlightenment in Europe influenced English thought.
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Stress on logic, balance, order, rationalism (inspired by classical ideals).
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Literature often imitated Latin writers of Augustus’s Rome (Horace, Virgil, Ovid).
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Development of journalism (The Tatler 1709, The Spectator 1711).
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Growth of satire as a literary tool to expose corruption, folly, and vanity.
📌 Major Characteristics
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Imitation of Classical Writers – Order, decorum, balance, clarity.
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Satire – To correct society’s follies (The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad).
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Didacticism – Literature meant to teach and moralize.
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Rise of Prose & Journalism – Essays, periodicals, letters flourished.
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Growth of Novel – Early forms of realistic fiction began.
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Poetry – Heroic couplet dominant; mock-epic style popular.
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Rationalism & Realism – Focused on reason, common sense, and social life.
📚 Important Writers & Works of the Augustan Age (1700–1745)
🖋️ Poetry
Alexander Pope (1688–1744) – Chief poet of the age, master of the heroic couplet.
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An Essay on Criticism (1711)
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The Rape of the Lock (1712, 1714 – final version)
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Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot (1735)
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Essay on Man (1733–34)
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The Dunciad (1728, revised 1743)
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The Epistles (Moral Essays)
Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) – Known more for prose, but also wrote verse satire.
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A Description of a City Shower
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Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift
Matthew Prior (1664–1721) – Poet of light verse and lyrics.
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Solomon on the Vanity of the World
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Henry and Emma
Edward Young (1683–1765) – Graveyard poet precursor.
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Love of Fame (1725–28)
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Night Thoughts (begun 1742)
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689–1762)
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Turkish Embassy Letters (written during her travels; proto-feminist voice).
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Poems and epistles.
📖 Prose / Satire / Essays
Jonathan Swift
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A Tale of a Tub (1704)
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The Battle of the Books (1704)
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Gulliver’s Travels (1726) – political/social satire.
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The Drapier’s Letters (1724)
Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
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The Campaign (1704) – poem
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The Tatler (with Steele, 1709)
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The Spectator (1711–12, 1714)
Richard Steele (1672–1729)
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Founded The Tatler (1709)
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Co-founded The Spectator (1711)
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The Guardian (1713)
Daniel Defoe (1660–1731)
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Robinson Crusoe (1719)
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Moll Flanders (1722)
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Captain Singleton (1720)
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A Journal of the Plague Year (1722)
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Roxana (1724)
Samuel Richardson (1689–1761) – Father of the English Novel.
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Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740)
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Clarissa (1748 – just after Augustan Age, but important)
George Berkeley (1685–1753) – Philosopher.
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Principles of Human Knowledge (1710)
🎭 Drama
Drama declined during this age (because of Puritan restrictions earlier + rise of prose), but a few works stand out:
John Gay (1685–1732)
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The Beggar’s Opera (1728) – satirical ballad opera.
Colley Cibber (1671–1757) – Poet Laureate, actor-manager.
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Love’s Last Shift (1696) – sentimental comedy.
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The Careless Husband (1704).
Sir Richard Steele
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The Conscious Lovers (1722) – sentimental comedy.
Nicholas Rowe (1674–1718) – Tragedian.
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The Fair Penitent (1703)
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Jane Shore (1714)
📜 Journalism & Periodicals
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The Tatler (1709) – founded by Steele.
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The Spectator (1711–12; revived 1714) – Addison & Steele.
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The Guardian (1713).
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The Craftsman (political paper, 1726–1752).
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Pope → Poetry & Satire.
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Swift → Satire (prose & verse).
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Addison & Steele → Essays, Periodicals (Tatler, Spectator).
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Defoe → Early Novel (Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders).
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Richardson → Sentimental Novel (Pamela).
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John Gay → The Beggar’s Opera (Drama).
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Cibber, Steele, Rowe → Sentimental Comedy & Tragedy.
📌 Augustan Age (1700–1745)
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Named after Augustus Caesar’s Rome → order, decorum, classical imitation.
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Second phase of Neoclassical Age (after Restoration, before Johnson’s Age).
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Period of Queen Anne, George I, George II → political stability.
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Rise of Whigs & Tories; literature reflected party politics.
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Coffee houses & clubs → centers of debate & literary culture.
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Satire dominated → Pope & Swift were leading satirists.
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Heroic couplet = chief verse form (perfected by Alexander Pope).
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Literature was didactic, moral, rational, realistic.
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Growth of journalism & periodical essays (Tatler, Spectator).
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Drama declined → replaced by sentimental comedy & ballad opera (Beggar’s Opera).
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Beginning of English novel → Defoe (Robinson Crusoe), Richardson (Pamela).
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Major writers → Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Addison, Steele, Defoe, Richardson, John Gay.
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Themes → manners, morals, politics, vanity, corruption, middle-class life.
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Age ended around 1745 with Pope’s death.
📘 MCQs
Q1. The Augustan Age in English literature roughly spans:
A) 1660–1700
B) 1700–1745
C) 1745–1798
D) 1558–1603
Answer: B) 1700–1745
👉 It follows the Restoration (1660–1700) and ends with Pope’s death in 1744 (often rounded as 1745).
Q2. Which verse form dominated the poetry of the Augustan Age?
A) Blank verse
B) Free verse
C) Heroic couplet
D) Sonnet
Answer: C) Heroic couplet
👉 Perfected by Alexander Pope, used in Essay on Criticism, The Rape of the Lock, etc.
Q3. Who among the following is NOT an Augustan writer?
A) Alexander Pope
B) Jonathan Swift
C) John Milton
D) Daniel Defoe
Answer: C) John Milton
👉 Milton belongs to the Puritan Age (17th century), before the Augustan Age.
Q4. The Rape of the Lock is best described as:
A) A blank verse tragedy
B) A mock-epic poem
C) A sentimental comedy
D) A periodical essay
Answer: B) A mock-epic poem
👉 Written by Alexander Pope, satirizing fashionable society.
Q5. Which pair of writers is most associated with The Tatler and The Spectator?
A) Pope & Swift
B) Addison & Steele
C) Dryden & Pope
D) Gay & Cibber
Answer: B) Addison & Steele
👉 They developed the periodical essay, shaping middle-class taste.
Q6. The Beggar’s Opera (1728), a ballad opera satirizing society, was written by:
A) John Gay
B) Colley Cibber
C) Nicholas Rowe
D) Richard Steele
Answer: A) John Gay
👉 It mocked both Italian opera and political corruption.
Q7. Who is regarded as the “Father of the English Novel” in the Augustan Age?
A) Samuel Richardson
B) Daniel Defoe
C) Henry Fielding
D) Jonathan Swift
Answer: B) Daniel Defoe
👉 His Robinson Crusoe (1719) is considered the first English novel.
Q8. Which of the following works is NOT by Jonathan Swift?
A) A Tale of a Tub
B) The Battle of the Books
C) The Dunciad
D) Gulliver’s Travels
Answer: C) The Dunciad
👉 That’s Pope’s satire. Swift wrote the other three.
Q9. Which major prose form gained popularity in the Augustan Age?
A) Autobiography
B) Novel
C) Gothic fiction
D) Romance
Answer: B) Novel
👉 Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Richardson’s Pamela mark the rise of the English novel.
Q10. The Augustan Age is often called the “Golden Age of ___.”
A) Drama
B) Satire
C) Romantic poetry
D) Lyric
Answer: B) Satire
👉 Because of Pope (The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad) and Swift (Gulliver’s Travels).
✍️ Conclusion
In conclusion, the Augustan Age (1700–1745) represents a turning point in English literature, where wit, reas on, and satire became dominant forces. From Pope’s heroic couplets and Swift’s biting satire to Addison and Steele’s moral essays and Defoe’s realistic novels, this age laid the foundation for modern English prose and fiction. By blending classical inspiration with contemporary social commentary, the Augustan writers created works that continue to influence literature and thought today.
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