Work, Vocation, and Talent in the Poetry of the Long 18th Century

Abstract

Momentous changes in the types and availability of work, its remuneration, required training, as well as its social, cultural, and religious significance occurred in England between the years 1650-1800. These changes would have a lasting cultural impact still felt in the present. This thesis proposes that literature, and particularly poetry, is a fruitful and underutilized source for understanding what these changes mean. Examining the work of six major poets from this period (Milton, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Johnson, and Cowper) for depictions and evaluations of work, it suggests that these are inseparable from two related conceptions of vocation and talent. These, it hopes to show, are also a valuable framework from which to approach poetry, allowing novel interpretations of the works under investigation while also producing a valuable reconstruction of the social, economic, and cultural history of the period.