In finishing Robinson Crusoe, the piece of the novel I found most interesting was Crusoe’s moral decision around the issue of the cannibals. He first plans on killing them for committing an act against God, but eventually retracts his plan after careful consideration: I debated this very often with myself thus: ‘‘How do I know … Continue reading
Category Archives: Eighteenth Century
An essay on criticism
There were a lot interesting readings this week but the one I found the most interesting was An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope. It begins by talking about nature and a Judge. After reading through it carefully I began to realize that the judge he could be talking to or about is the person … Continue reading
Plus ça change
Satire has been used by writers, poets, and playwrights for millennia as a way to make incisive social commentary while also entertaining a mass audience. Generally speaking, satire can be classified as “Horatian” satire (named after the Roman poet Horace) or “Juvenalian” satire (after the Roman poet Juvenal). Horatian satire comes from a place of … Continue reading
Acts of Union 1707
The first Acts of Union were two separate legislative acts passed in 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland that united the two countries – previously known as the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland – into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and formalized the sense of “Britain” and … Continue reading
The West Indies
The term West Indies refers to what are better known today as the islands of the Caribbean, encompassing three major geographic subdivisions: the Greater Antilles (the large islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico), the Lesser Antilles (a group of much smaller islands including the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Anguilla, and others), and the … Continue reading
The Edible Eighteenth Century 