Neoclassicism was a conservative movement between 1660-1780 that believed humans were fallen from grace. It observed a disparity between the glorious past and the debased present, exalting tradition over innovation. Major ideas included that humanity's chief concern should be moral improvement through restraint, while science was unimportant and the universe amoral. Neoclassical poetry aimed for clarity over originality through allusion, satire, and traditional genres with universal appeal.