General Introduction – Overview of the period.

The Social Setting & Literary Scene – Cultural and historical context.

John Dryden – Life, works, and influence.

Restoration Comedy – Its features and major dramatists.

Literature and Science – Interaction of literary writing with scientific thinking.

Daniel Defoe as Novelist – Defoe’s contributions to the novel form.

Periodical Essayists – Development of essays and periodicals in the era.

Swift and the Tradition of Wit – Jonathan Swift’s role in 18th-century literature.

Alexander Pope – Poetry and influence.

Richardson, Fielding, and Smollett – Early novelists and narrative techniques.

Tristram Shandy and the Arts of Fiction – Laurence Sterne’s experimental writing.

Oliver Goldsmith & Samuel Johnson – Later figures of the period.

Appendix & Bibliography – Reference lists and indices.

English