AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE

This book also dives into the origins of American English, tracking its linguistic and rhetorical development from Webster to Mencken as well as its significant influence on the growth of the American identity throughout this time period. We investigate regionalism, the impact of African-American English, and the capacity of language to play a role in the formation of the American identity. The literary scene was dominated by neoclassicism, which is also sometimes referred to as the Age of Prose and Reason. We investigate the development of reason, the practice of imitating ancients, as well as the norms and practices that guided the production of literature. In addition to this, we explore the writings of Alexander Pope, as well as the heroic couplet, poetic diction, and satire, all of which are characteristic of this time period.