The Age of Transition was dominated by Dr. Samual Johnson. This age is also known as the 18th century.

1. MATUSHRI RATANBEN RAMJIBHAI
MONPARA ARTS COLLEGE
NAME : RUTVI PAL
SUB. : THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE 2
YEAR : S.Y.B.A. ( SEM – 4 ) 2022-23
TOPIC : THE AGE OF TRANSITION

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
CHARACTERISTICS
SAMUEL JOHNSON
THE TRANSITIONAL POETS
THE NOVELIST
THE HISTORIANS
THE PROSE WRITERS
CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION:
THE SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH
CENTURY IS KNOWN AS A
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD. THE PERIOD
HAS WITNESS TWO TOTALLY
DIFFERENT DIFFERENT PHASES OF
CREATION.
THE WRITING STYLE OF LITERATURE
WAS CHANGEF FROM CLASSICAL TO
ROMANTIC. THE AGE WAS
DOMINATED BY DR.SAMUEL JOHNSON
, AND IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS “ AN AGE
OF JOHNSON”.
TIME PERIOD OF THIS AGE IS 1720 TO
1800.
THIS AGE ALSO KNOWN AS,
THE AGE OF SENSIBILITY
AGE OF PRE – ROMANTICS
AGE OF UNREST
AGE OF CHANGE
NEOCLASSICISM
ENLIGHTENMENT
18TH CENTURY

4. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
MIDDLE AND LATER STAGE OF
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
1. DECLINE OF THE PARTY FEUD.
2. COMMERCIAL AND IMPERIAL
EXPANSION.
3. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION ( 1789).
THE CHIEF REASON FOR CHANGE IS
FOUND IN THE WEAKNESS OF TORY
PARTY, WHICH BY RASH MANAGEMENT.
WITH THE ACCESSION OF GEORGE 3 IN
1760, THE TORIES SWIFTLY CLIMBED INTO

5. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE AGE :
1. THE DOUBLE TENDENCY.
2. THE NEW ROMANTICISM.
3. THE NEW LEARNING.
4. THE NEW PHILOSOPHY.
5. THE GROWTH OF
HISTORICAL RESEARCH.
6. THE NEW REALISM.
7. THE DECLINE OF POLITICAL
WRITING.

6. SAMUEL JOHNSON :
SON OF BOOKSELLER.
HIS BIOGRAPHY – LIFE OF SAMUEL
JOHNSON WRITTEN BY BOSWELL.
FAMOUS WORKS :
DICTIONARY (1747-55)
LONDON (1738)
THE VANITY OF HUMAN WISHES
(1749)
IRENE – DRAMA

7. THE TRANSITIONAL POETS :
1. JAMES THOMSON (1700 – 48) – THE SEASONS (1730)
2. OLIVER GOLDSMITH (1728 – 74) – THE DESERTED
VILLAGE (1770), THE TRAVELLER (1764)
3. THOMAS GRAY (1716 - 71) – PINDARIC ODES (1757),
ELEGY WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCHYARD (1751)
4. WILLIAM COLLINS (1721- 59) - ODES (1746)
5. WLLIAM COWPER (1731 – 1800) – OLNEY HYMNS (1776)
6. GEORGE CRABBLE (1754 – 1832) – THE LIBRARY (1781)

8. THE NOVELIST :
1. SAMUEL RICHARDSON (1689 – 1761) –
PAMELA,OR VIRTUE REWARDED (1740)
2. HENRY FIELDIND (1707 – 54) –
GREATEST NOVEL - TOM JONES
(1749), AMELIA (1751)
3. HORACE WALPOLE (1717 – 97) – THE
CASTLE OF OTRANTO (1764)
4. MATTHEW GREGORY LEWIS (1775 –
1818) – THE MONK (1795)

9. THE HISTORIANS :
JAMES BOSWEL (1740-94)
EDWARD GIBBON (1737-
94)
First book – A
history of
switzerland
(1770)
Famous work
– The decline
and fall of the
roman empire
. It is one of
the greatest of
historical
Son of scottish
family.
Famous work –
The life of
Samuel
Johnson
(1791). It is
one of the best
biograhies in
existence.
He had

10. THE PROSE WRITERS :
1. EDMUND BURK (1729-97) - A LETTER TO A NOBLE
LORD (1795). FAMOUS FOR PHILOSOPHICAL AND
POLITICAL WRITING. AND ALSO FAMOUS FOR SPEECH
AND PAMPHLETS.
2. ADAM SMITH (1723-90) – THE WEALTH OF NATIONS
(1776). FATHER OF ECONOMICS.
3. WILLIAM GODWIN (1756-1836) – POLITICAL JUSTICE
(1783). FAMOUS FOR LETTER. WRITE ABOUT

11. CONCLUSION :
THE PERIOD TRANSITION HAS OBSERVED DRASTIC CHANGE IN
THE IDEOLOGY OF LITERATURE WRITING AND REVOLUTIONS.
THE SPIRIT OF AN AGE HAS TRSNSITIONEFN INTO ANOTHER
ONE. SOME WRITERS HAVE FOLLOWED THEIR WILL AND
OBSERVEF NATURE AND ITS BEAUTY AND REFLECTED THAT
INTO THEIR POETRY. THEY ALSO REVOLTED AGAINST THE
NEOCLASSICAL STYLE OF WRITING WHICH WAS MORE
IMITATING THE CLASSICAL FORM.