The Values of the Enlightenment Culture in the Sentimental English Novels of the 17th -18th Centuries

Abstract

When the sentimental novel of the 18th century is contemplated, the established topics of the figure of the man of feeling, the concept of domestic/public spheres, passion versus logic/reason as a result of emotions all come to mind. These topics have been discussed in depth for so long they are considered tropes of eighteenth-century literature. Enlightenment selected for this study is no coincidence. It was in the era of the Enlightenment that a new attitude appeared, which gave impetus to the design of that system of values, which remains relevant at the beginning of the third millennium. The purpose of the study is to identify the core of the values of the Enlightenment culture in the English novel of the 17th -18th centuries. To achieve this goal, it is planned to solve the corresponding problems: to study rationalism based on the material of Daniel Defoe’s novels, to consider the problem in the sentimental novels of the 17th -18th in the example of “Man of Feelings” by Mackenzie, and to draw general conclusions about the values of the Enlightenment culture based on the analysis of the sentimental English novel. The structure of the thesis is consisted of an introduction, two chapters, conclusion and list of used literature.