18thB-Non-Poetry+Movements

= = =**Non-Poetry of the 18th Century and Restoration**=

Drama
There were three new types of drama popularized during the Restoration, which were the aptly named [|Restoration Comedy], [|Heroic Drama], and the Pathetic Drama (a.k.a [|She-Tragedy].) Restoration Comedies focused on subtle sexual overtones and wit above all else. These also marked the first appearance of female actors on stage, who, ironically enough, were cast to play male roles, called the "[|breeches part]." They followed a period of turmoil after the English Civil War and marked a transition from the old style of male-dominated theatre to the new of more explicit co-ed productions. Examples of this type of drama can be found in [|Thomas Southerne's]//The Wives' Excuse// and [|Aphra Behn's] //The Rover//. Heroic Dramas were most abundant in the 1660s and 1670s. They focused on ideals of love, courage, and honor, similar to the old epics and romances of earlier decades. These plays may also feature fierce on-stage battles and depictions of murder. The most famous author of Heroic Dramas was [|John Dryden], whose //Conquest of Granada// represents the paradigm of the genre.

She-Tragedies featured virtuous and honest women who were somehow failed by society and thus suffered tragedic results. They represented changing ideologies in the 1670s and 1680s from the concerns of masculine, domineering men to the plights of women at home. The she-tragedy is just one form of the overarching pathetic tragedy, but became the dominant form after [|Elizabeth Barry]'s portrayl of Monimia in [|Thomas Otway's] //The Orphan//. Among other popular examples are [|Nicolas Rowe's] //Lady Jane Grey// and [|Thomas Southerne's] //The Fatal Marriage//.

Literature
With the 18th century came the advent of the modern novel as we know it. These novels, also known as psychological novels, focused on psychological developments of their man characters so that readers could further enter the mind of the protagonist. Some examples of modern novels of the time period include [|Denis Diderot's] //Jacques the Fatalist// and [|Samuel Richardson's] //Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded//.

Both literature and drama of this era can be connected through a plethora of themes, with the most prevalent being society's will versus the will of the individual, a longing for the virutes of old, and a restoration of morale following the civil war. The first theme can be seen most drastically in Pathetic Dramas, where the hero/heroine are wrongly convicted of some wrongdoing and punished for it. It can also be seen in modern novels, as the inner thoughts of the character may disagree or even go against the thoughts they present to society. Virtues of old are prevalent in Heroic Dramas, with epics representing the chivalrous knights and codes of honor that dominated Arthurian times. The restoration of morale inspires Restoration Comedies where people can come and forget their troubles, if only for the evening, by laughing at the misfortune or ridiculousness of the cast.

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Sources (in order of appearance)
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 * [|http://www.iep.utm.edu/diderot/]
 * [|http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/pamela_illustrated/richardson.htm]
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Edited and Maintained by Stephen Cossa