Love as a Mundane Social Convention
One of the differences between the English literary works of the neoclassical era and those of other historical and cultural periods is that love is mundane in these. For example, the main fictional character in Gulliver’s Travels describes falling in love and subsequent marriage, the main love experiences in the lives of many, as a mere, brief social status. Gulliver shares with readers, “…being advised to alter my condition, I married Mrs. Mary Burton, second daughter to Mr. Edmund Burton, hosier, in Newgatestreet” (Swift 348).
Through the protagonist, the writer devotes only one sentence to this romantic memory. It shows that the character has little room in his soul for one of the significant events in human life, marriage, the ultimate love bonding. The theme of love functions only as a trigger for neoclassical authors to explore and discuss other topics.
Emotional Detachment in Neoclassical Literature
Steele shares in The Tatler No. 25, “a letter from a young lady, written in the most passionate terms, wherein she laments the misfortune of a gentleman…” (334). He proceeds, “…her lover, who was lately wounded in a duel, has turned my thoughts to that subject” (334). Authors from other cultural periods would begin to discuss their feelings, emotional states, and motives rather than the duel. Neoclassicism is the time of abstract love, and this feeling is secondary in relation to other subjects and topics, such as work or career.
Love as a Tool for Broader Virtues
In The Spectator No. 34, Joseph Addison mentions love as a professional virtue that he should adhere to to keep his written works of high quality. He promises never “to publish a single paper that is not written in the spirit of benevolence and with a love to mankind” (Addison 337). One will rarely find love as a distinct, singular, and complete feeling and experience in neoclassical literature, as it is a humdrum for the people of that cultural period.
Work Cited
Harris, Bethany. British Literature. 3rd ed., BJU Press, 2019.