Culture of the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Also linked to the Augustan period is [[Samuel Johnson]]'s ''[[A Dictionary of the English Language]]''. Published in 1755, it was viewed as the pre-eminent [[British Dictionary]] until the completion of the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' 150 years later.<ref>Lynch, Jack (2003). "Samuel Johnson's Dictionary". p. 1.</ref><ref>Advertisement in Derby Mercury 4 April 1755, page 4 'This day is published a Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson'</ref> It is among the most influential [[dictionary|dictionaries]], or among most authoritative, in the history of the [[English language]] and considered to be a monumental achievement in [[lexicography]]. A group of London booksellers contracted Johnson to write a dictionary for the sum of 1,500 [[Guinea (British coin)|guineas]] (£1,575), equivalent to about £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|1575|1746|r=-4}}|0}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}.{{Inflation-fn|UK|df=y}} Johnson took seven years to complete the work, although he had claimed he could finish it in three.

[[Richard Steele]]’s, who is another, famous author known for [[comedies]] and [[pamphlets]], literary career began with [[The Christian Hero]] (1701), a moral pamphlet that was criticized due to his personal lifestyle, followed by the successful comedy [[The Funeral]] later that year. In 1703, he wrote [[The Lying Lover]], an early sentimental comedy that failed on stage. In 1705, he collaborated with [[Joseph Addison]] on [[The Tender Husband]] and contributed the prologue to [[John Vanbrugh]]’s [[The Mistake]]. Steele’s major breakthrough came in 1709 with the creation of [[The Tatler]], a tri-weekly [[periodical]] in which he wrote the majority of the essays under the pseudonym [[Isaac Bickerstaff]], aiming to expose societal vices and promote simplicity. Despite its success, The Tatler was shut down in 1711 due to political pressure, prompting Steele and Addison to co-found [[The Spectator]] in 1711 and [[The Guardian]] in 1713, solidifying Steele’s role as a leading figure in early British journalism.

The subsequent [[Romanticism|Romantic]] period showed a flowering of poetry comparable with the Renaissance 200 years earlier, and a revival of interest in [[vernacular literature]]. In Scotland the poetry of [[Robert Burns]] revived interest in [[Scots language|Scots]] literature, and the [[Weaver Poets]] of [[Ulster]] were influenced by literature from Scotland. In Wales the late 18th century saw the revival of the [[eisteddfod]] tradition, inspired by [[Iolo Morganwg]]. The period also saw the publication of ''[[A Vindication of the Rights of Woman]]'' (1792), by [[Mary Wollstonecraft]], is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy. During the Romantic period, [[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]] by [[Lewis Carroll]] was one of the most famous novels.