routledge+history+of+literature+in+english

The Romantic period
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considered to be a ‘Father of the British Empire’. France
conceded a vast amount of territory to Britain with the
Peace of Paris (1763)
1768 Captain James Cook’s first journey to the South Pacific,
in the name of colonial expansion as well as scientific
discovery (Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779)
c.1770 The so-called ‘Age of Reason’ – a term often applied to
the whole of the eighteenth century – reached its height.
The German word Aufklärung, applied to the works
of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, was translated into
English as ‘Enlightenment’. Optimism in Europe was
high, as intellectual superiority seemed to be assured.
One English off-shoot of the Enlightment was the
establishment, by John Wesley, of the Methodist church.
This Protestant sect rejected any personal extravagance
(like the Puritans) but, unlike its predecessor, was born
in a spirit of tolerance towards other Protestant sects
1775 The invention of the steam-engine, by the Scotsman
James Watt, led to a rapid rise in industralisation and
urban growth (the Industrial Revolution)
1776 The American Declaration of Independence (4 July).
Britain was at war with America from 1775 to 1783,
when independence was recognised
THE ROMANTIC PERIOD
1789 The French Revolution: the monarchy of Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette was overthrown
1793–94 ‘The Reign of Terror’ in France, led by left-wing radicals
known as Jacobins (Robespierre, Danton, Marat) who
ruthlessly suppressed their political opponents
1793 Britain joined the ‘Wars of the Coalition’ against France,
which was aiming for supremacy throughout Europe.
Major British victories were achieved at sea, at Trafalgar
(under Lord Nelson, 1805), and on land, at Waterloo
(under the Duke of Wellington, 1815)
1801 The Act of Union: Ireland was politically joined to
Britain
1804 Napoleon Bonaparte, an army general, became Emperor
of France