Birth of Modern Europe
Mr. Meyers
Katie Levy
03/12/04

A Social and Cultural Analysis of Modern London

Unique to Britain, London’s eclectic cultural history blends traditional with classical style, gaining renown from it’s puritanic values to the birth of the “English novel.” From art to literature, music to pop culture, London has been a hotbed of fascinating culture for over three centuries. The social and political issues that faced Londoners in the 17th and 18th centuries, like class structure and the economy, nourished London’s development through literature, art, and popular culture. Instead of enhancing the aristocracy and class difference in the city, cultural activities such as art, music and literature depleted the gap between rich and poor, forming a medium that would soon be known as the middle class.
British literature was originally inspired by the classical Greek and Roman style, from Socrates to Virgil. Several authors in, in particular, played major roles in creating important works that would eventually blossom into the flowery “English novel.” John Milton, known as the “Giant of English letters,” was an influential scholar of Roman literature. Writing of puritanic values, he served not only as poet and writer, but as literary spokesman for Oliver Cromwell, a political, military and religious figure who led the Parliamentarian victory in the Civil War durin 1842-1849, as well as ordered the execution of Charles I. While writing propaganda for Cromwell, Milton went blind, thus producing Paradise Lost. Ahead of his time, Milton’s epic poem parallelled Satan’s rebellion from Genesis, reflecting the dangers of succumbing to temptation, disobeying God, and the fall of mankind.¹ Also written about his blindess is On His Blindness. “Long’d with me useless through my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present my
My true accoun, lest he returning chide.
“Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?”²
Milton alludes to Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of talents, where death is the ultimate punishment after the unfavorable servant was cast into darkness. In the Bible, Talent measured individual worth and value, like an endowment or mental gift. Milton’s gift, or Talent, was poetry.
John Dryden and Alexander Pope were popular British satirists in the 17th and 18th centuries. The satire was aimed at the general public, and not directly at rulers and aristocrats. One poem, however, spoke of unrequitted love and was directed, ironically (for the times), to a man.
“...Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;
My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.
Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,
But they fall silently, like dew on roses.”³
Dryden writes of trying to nullify his love, or, at least, suppress it for the unforgiving English culture.
The concept of the specific “English novel” was born in the eighteenth century. Though emphasizing refinery and “good taste,” the growth of Romanticism is communicated through various popular authors, such as Jane Austin and the Brontë sisters. Reading through the florid prose, this new style of literature reflected political and religious bitterness, like the portrayal of tortured, rebellious Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights. Thus, this new literature and various performance arts, such as theater, could be enjoyed by all classes, just one of the factors helping to blur the bold line between rich and poor. By the end of the 18th century, between 40 and 60% of France and England combined were literate.⁴
Fine art was another example of popular culture being used to “bring spiritual improvement to the masses.”⁵ Desperate to unite different social classes, an artistic movement occurred in the 1850s to bring art to the English working class, and thus they were ‘permitted’ to visit art museums. “The conduct of all was admirable, and... no case of intoxication or ill behavior was noticed...” a Londonite observed upon observing the lower class at an exhibit. Aristocrats, wanting their face and wealth to be remembered forever, hired famous artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, George Romney, Sir Thomas Lawerence and Joshua Reynolds to paint their portraits. Having once been penniless merchants peddling sketches on the streets of London, these artists were often paid with jewels, fine cloth, and other luxury items. Also gaining recognition were musicians such as Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart. Their “baroque” style music greatly influenced British culture in the late 17th and 18th centuries, in that not only was it belegant and melodic, but this particular music was enjoyed by all classes.⁶ The music of Handel, in particular, “lack the romantic and mystical feeling of Bach. They are matter-of-fact, full of English common sense.”⁷
The rise of “pop culture” helped integrate the working and elite classes. The formal literature and baroque art reflected concerns and tastes of the elite, while the lower classes simultaneously developed their own sub-culture. Often activities participated in by the working classes included celebrations of the seasons, such as harvest festivals and religious ceremonies. The church formed a strong sense of community, encouraging people to befriend fellow residents of a small neighborhood. Through the church, neighbors gathered for weddings, music, dancing, feasts, games, and plays. Eventually, lower classes also had some access to the art and architecture enjoyed by the upper classes. However, activities such as sports games, cock and dog fighting, soccer and cricket drew large crowds consisting of both upper and lower classes. The line between the elite and working classes grew even fuzzier as they partook in important cultural activities.
Although “the Londoner [went] to great lengths to isolate himself from institutions of business and pleasure,”⁸ he, and London as a whole, developed a culture that borrowed customs from previous empires, yet was innovative at the same time. Art, music, and literature, as well as various social events, helpted optimize the relationship between rich and poor, working and elite thus aiding London’s development into becoming the “modern” city of today.














Bibliography

Handel, George Frederick. Album For The Piano
Schirmer’s Library of Musical Classics
New York: 1967

Olsen, Donald. The City As A Work of Art
Yale University Press
New Haven: 1986

Sullivan, Richard. A Short History of Western Civilization.
McGraw Hill
Boston: 1994

On His Blindness-- John Milton
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/106.html

About.com
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/106.html

¹ Sullivan, Richard. A Short History of Western Civilization. McGraw Hill: 1994. p. 413

² http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/106.html

http://classiclit.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bartleby.com%2F101%2F401.html

³ Sullivan, Richard. A Short History of Western Civilization. McGraw Hill: 1994. p. 418

⁴ Olsen, Donald. The City As A Work of Art. Yale University Press: 1986. p. 189

⁵ Sullivan, Richard. A Short History of Western Civilization. McGraw Hill: 1994. p. 418

⁶ Schirmer’s Library of Musical Classics. Handel Album For The Piano. 1967, p. 1

⁷ Olsen, Donald. The City As A Work of Art. Yale University Press: 1986. p. 190