Chapter 17.2:
Culture and Society
in an age of
Enlightenment
BY HUNTER, XANDRA, AND JARED
I. Innovations in Art,
Music, and
Literature
A. Rococo – Watteau and
Newmann

A new style in 1730’s affecting decoration and architecture. Works
spoke of pursuit of happiness, pleasure and love.

Antoine Watteau – focused of upper class in fine dress. There is an
undertone of sadness with revealed fragility and transitory nature of
pleasure, love, and life.

Balthasar Neumann –made pilgrimage to Vierzehnheligen in
southern Germany and to Residenz, and saw the bright colors and
rich details in the architecture.
B. Neoclassicism - David
 Recaptures
dignity and simplicity of
classical styles of ancient Greece and
Rome. David showed a moral
seriousness, with an emphasis on
honor and patriotism.
C. Baroque Music
Perfected
by Bach and
Handel. Bounces between
secular and religious tones.
D. Classical Music
Orchestral
music, perfected
by Hadyn and Mozart. Music
empire shifted from Germany
and Italy to Austria.
E. Development of the Novel

Novel was not completely new literary genre but grew
out of medieval romances and picaresque stories of the
sixteenth century. The English are responsible for Novels
being the modern-day foundation of fictional writing. It
was a new genre and open to experimentation.

Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding differed greatly from
each other on both emotional and action based
movements.
F. The Writing of History
 Philosophers
were completely secular,
which allowed for better focus on
portraying actual events instead of
religious tendencies.
 Historians
paid attention to economic,
social, cultural, and intellectual
developments along with politics.
II. The High Culture
of the Eighteenth
Century
A. Differentiate between high
culture and popular culture
 Historians
and cultural anthropologists
intentionally distinguish between high and
popular culture –
 High
culture is very educated while
popular culture is written and unwritten
love; very large masses of people.
B. Describe the High Culture
 The
educated and wealthy were very
prominent in this group. All were
educated in artistic culture or literature.
Consisted of learned theologians,
scientists, philosophers, intellectuals, poets,
and dramatists.
1. An Increased Readership
 The
increase in education and
readership of the public caused a
growth of at least three hundred
titles, however there was a small
amount of growth in reading for the
middle class.
2. Education and Universities

There was an increase in the number of schools and
places of education at this time:

Many secondary schools, including grammar and public
schools, as well as gymnasiums opened in German and
surrounding areas, while Universities and Colleges were
founded in France and Spain.

Usually catered to the upper class, these establishments
focused on the education of the Greek and Latin
languages, basic mathematics, science, and modern
language.
3. Crime and Punishment – Cesare
Beccaria

At the time, most European governments had a hierarchy of courts
to deal with crime.

England still allowed judicial torture, however instrumental torture
was mainly used to gain confessions from criminals.

Brutal Executions and forced labor were common punishments.

Cesare Beccaria thought that physical punishments should be
deterrents against crime with little bodily harm done to the criminal.

Capital punishments were ineffective, imprisonments were
favorable.
4. Reforms in Medicine

Physicians came from universities and had a high social status.
Universities taught the outdated works of Galen despite scientific
advancements in medicine. Clinical methods were slowly
introduced to Universities.

Physicians had to be licensed before granted to see patients, and
received outrageous payments for their work. Surgeons operated in
filthy conditions without anesthetics.

Medical reform came in the 1740’s by studying anatomy, dissecting
corpses, and other things.
III. Popular Culture
A. Festivals and Carnivals
 Celebrated
in the weeks before lint,
they were times of great indulgence.
 Loads of hearty food were
consumed, there was heavy drinking,
as well as intense sexual activities (all
contrary to the religious holiday soon
to come).
B. Local Taverns and Drinking
Habits
Similar
to carnivals conditions, the
poor would themselves to death
and was a hotspot for indulging in
pleasures.
D. Chapbooks

Short brochures sold by itinerate peddlers to the
lower classes. They contained spiritual and
secular materials.

Was basically a newspaper conveying popular
ideas of the time.

Proved that Europe’s ability to change
depended on literacy.
E. Spread of Literacy and Increase
in Primary Education
 Allowed
Europe to change over time,
for example:
 Rich and wealthy became literate.
 Professional reformers pushed for the
reading of the Bible, and encourage
literacy.
IV. The Institutional
Church
A. Background
 In
the 1700’s, the established
institutional churches were
conservative institutions that upheld
hierarchical structure, privileged
classes, and traditions (did not
change drastically).
B. Church-State Relations
 In
1700, the catholic church held
much power over the catholic states,
remaining hierarchal structured.
 By the eighteenth century, papal
power had declined dramatically.
C. Toleration and Religious
Minorities
 Chief
battle cry of philosophers.
 While some rulers were tolerant, most
believed that there was only one
path to salvation.
D. Toleration and the Jews

Remained the despised religious minority in
Europe.

Frequent outbursts of popular wrath in which
Jewish communities were looted and
massacred.

Some, however few enlightenment thinkers
favored Jewish acceptance.
V. Popular Religion
in the Eighteenth
Century
A. Background
 Religious
devotion remained strong in
eighteenth century – rise of skepticism.
B. Catholic Piety

Despite the reformation, popular devotion was still focused on an
externalized form of worship. This disturbed many clergyman, who
believed that their parishioners were “more superstitious than the
devout.”
C. Protestant Revivalism
1. Background
Protestant
churches in the 17th
century had settled into
established patterns.
They became bureaucratized
and bereft of religious enthusiasm.
2. Pietism and Moravian Brethren
Pietism
was the response to
the desire of a deeper,
more personal connection
with God.
3. John Wesley and Methodism

John Wesley – ordained Anglican minister (1703-1791).
He had a spiritual crisis and underwent a mystical
experience. God’s grace assured his salvation, and he
became a missionary to the english. He began
preaching in open fields to everyone, and the
converted would go to Methodist societies / chapels to
aid one another with good works.

Methodism was important to the revival of spiritual
experience in Christianity.