1709 to 1717

Literature

The Tatler. Richard steele. British. 1709/11. Essays. Light satires and criticisms of contemporary mores. Topics include entertainment, poetry, domestic and foreign news and miscellaneous subjects.

Society

1710. Pennsylvania "Dutch" gunsmiths develop the Pennsylvania rifle with spiral bore for accuracy.

1710. British copyright law established. Basis for all future copyright laws.

1710. Great German migration to America begins.

Literature

Journal to Stella. Jonathan Swift. British. 1710/13. Journal. Swift's name for his friend Esther Johnson. Reveals his hopes, anxieties, social life and political intrigues.

Society

1711. Black Death kills 300,000 in Austria, 215,000 in Brandenburg.

Literature

"An Essay on Criticism." Alexander Pope. British. 1711. Literary criticism. Discussion of literary taste, style, verse structure. Criticism based on neoclassical principles.

"Auld Lang Syne." Anonymous (Robert Burns?) British/Scottish. 1711? Song. New version of an older song. "...took it down from an old man's singing."

The Spectator. Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. British. March 1711 to December 1712. Essays. Picture of the social life of the times. Focus is on common sense and good manners.

Society

1712. Slave revolt in New York.

1712. Pennsylvania forbids further importation of slaves.

1712. History of John Bull by Arbuthnot satirizes duke of Marlborough; becomes symbol of England.

1712. Scotland's Rob Roy becomes an outlaw, but foils all efforts to capture him.

1712. Sperm whale industry begins in Nantucket.

1713. America's first schooner built; from Scots dialect scoon, meaning to skip over surface of water.

1713. First evidence of the success of inoculation against smallpox.

1714. Hanover's George I succeeds Queen Anne in England. He speaks no English.

1714. Fahrenheit devises thermometer with mercury replacing alcohol.

Literature

"The Rape of the Lock." Alexander Pope. British. 1714. Poetry. Cuts off a lock of Belinda's hair and she demands its return. Mock-heroic.

Society

1715. France's Louis XIV dies. Great-grandson, 5, begins reign as Louis XV.

1715. English colonial forces in America defeat the Yamassee Indians in South Carolina.

1715. Black slaves comprise 24% of Virginia colony's population.

Literature

Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane. Alain Rene Lesage. French. 1715/24/35. Novel. Picaresque. Extraordinary number of episodes. No coherent plot. Blas evolves: innocence, corruption, triumph of virtue. He meets adventurers, thieves, valets, actors, authors, doctors, clergymen, and noblemen. Setting is supposedly Spanish, but it is actually a picture of French society.

Society

1717. Prussia makes school attendance compulsory.