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Art and Literature in the Age of Reason
"The Enlightenment ideals of order and reason were reflected in the arts—music, literature, painting, and architecture." Under the influence of the Enlightenment, styles began to change. "The arts began to reflect the new emphasis on order and balance. Artists and architects worked in a simple and elegant style that borrowed ideas and themes from classical Greece and Rome." -
A World Idea
"In Paris was the cultural and intellectual capital of Europe." "The buzz of Enlightenment ideas was most intense in the man-sions of several wealthy women of Paris. There, in their large drawing rooms, these hostesses held regular social gatherings called salons." -
Popularity of the Novel
"Writers in the 18th century also developed new styles and forms of literature." "A number of European authors began writing novels—lengthy works of prose fiction. These books were popular with a wide middle-class audience, who liked the entertaining stories written in everyday language." -
Enlightenment and Monarchy
"From the salons, artists’ studios, and concert halls of Europe, the Enlightenment spirit also swept through Europe’s royal courts. Many philosophes, including Voltaire, believed that the best form of government was a monarchy in which the ruler respected the people’s rights." "The enlightened despots supported the philosophes’ ideas. But they also had no intention of giving up any power." -
Frederick the Great
"Frederick II, the king of Prussia from 1740 to 1786, once wrote to Voltaire: “I must enlighten my people, cultivate their manners and morals, and make them as happy as human beings can be, or as happy as the means at my disposal per-mit.”(Fredrick II)" "Perhaps Frederick’s most important contribution was his attitude toward being king." -
Diderot’s Encyclopedia
"This Encyclopedia, as he called it, would bring together all the most current and enlightened thinking about science, technology, art, government, and more." "New volumes came out regularly under his editorship until 1772." "The salons and the Encyclopedia helped spread Enlightenment ideas to educated people all over Europe." -
Catherine the Great
The ruler most admired by the philosophes was Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great. -
Classical Music
"Three composers in Vienna, Austria, rank among the greatest fig-
ures of the classical period in music. They were Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven." "Beethoven showed enormous range in his work. He wrote beautiful piano music, string quartets, and stirring symphonies. Beethoven’s earlier works were in the same classical style as Mozart’s." -
Catherine Expands Russia Expanded
"Catherine also expanded her empire westward into Poland. In Poland, the king was relatively weak, and independent nobles held the most power. The three neighboring powers—Russia, Prussia, and Austria—each tried to assert their influence over the country." -
Catherine Expands Russia
"Peter the Great had fought for years to win a port on the Baltic Sea. Likewise, Catherine sought access to the Black Sea. In two wars with the Ottoman Turks, her armies finally won control of the northern shore of the Black Sea. Russia also gained the right to send ships through Ottoman-controlled straits leading from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea."