Introduction

Over time, the themes and perspectives emphasized in art and literature change and evolve. Many seem to revolve around human nature and its fundamental quality—usually fluctuating between the views that man is fundamentally good or fundamentally flawed. During the Neoclassical period, the pendulum swung away from the exuberance of the Renaissance to a belief that reason was the supreme authority.

For this exercise, you will read different perspectives on the Neoclassical movement. Then you will synthesize this information to create a concise description of the Neoclassical movement and identify three influential writers of this period.

Destination Titles

Neoclassicism
(http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/neocl.html)
An Introduction to Neoclassicism
(http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/nc/ncintro.html)

Directions

Start with “Neoclassicism” and read through the introduction. After you have finished reading that, go to “Neoclassicism: An Introduction” and read the text.

1.	Once you have finished reading these two descriptions of the Neoclassical movement, use the information from each site to write a concise description of the movement, and then identify three influential English writers of this period.