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Notable Authors of the Restoration Period
- John Evelyn (1620 - 1706) - John Evelyn is most famous for his diaries, which provide a detailed and insightful chronicle of his life and the events of his time, including the Restoration period. His diaries are a valuable historical resource, offering firsthand accounts of major events, daily life, and the political and social atmosphere of 17th-century England.
- John Locke (1632 - 1704) - English philosopher and political theorist John Locke began the empiricist tradition and thus initiated the greatest age of British philosophy. He attempted to center philosophy on an analysis of the extent and capabilities of the human mind. His major works include Two Treatises and the Essay Concerning Human Understanding.
- Samuel Pepys (1633 - 1703) - English diarist and naval administrator. His diary, which covers the period 1660-69, is a vivid account of London life through such disasters as the Great Plague, the Fire of London, and the intrusion of the Dutch fleet up the Thames.
Notable Authors of the Augustan Period
- Henry Fielding (1707 - 1754) - English novelist and dramatist, noted particularly for his picaresque novel Tom Jones (1749) and for Joseph Andrews (1742), which starts as a parody of Richardson's Pamela: also noted as an enlightened magistrate and a founder of the Bow Street runners (1749).
- Daniel Defoe (ca. 1660-1731) - Known primarily as a journalist, pamphleteer, and social commentator from the merchant class, Defoe wrote hundreds of essays on diverse topics, including religion, politics, history, trade, crime, and marriage. His importance in the history of English literature is signified by his title of "father of the English novel." His novels Moll Flanders and Robinson Crusoe are still studied and enjoyed to this day.
- Alexander Pope (1688-1744): Topic Page - English poet, regarded as the most brilliant satirist of the Augustan period. Key works include “The Rape of the Lock,” “The Dunciad,” and “An Essay on Man.”
- Samuel Richardson (1689 - 1761) - English writer whose epistolary novels include Pamela (1740), often considered the first modern English novel, and Clarissa Harlowe (1747-1748).
- Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) - A master satirist, best known for Gulliver’s Travels, A Modest Proposal, and The Battle of the Books
Notable Authors of the Samuel Johnson Period
- James Boswell (1740-1795) - Famous for his biography The Life of Samuel Johnson (1791), which provides valuable insights into Johnson's life and times.
- Edmund Burke (ca. 1729-1797) - Known for his political philosophy and influential works such as Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790).
- Fanny Burney (1752-1840) - Author of novels like Evelina (1778) and Cecilia (1782), known for her keen social observations.
- Oliver Goldsmith (ca. 1730-1774) - During his short but remarkable literary career of only fifteen years, Oliver Goldsmith wrote individual essays, a pseudoletter essay series, biographies, poems, a novel, and plays--every literary genre practiced in mid-eighteenth-century England. Noted for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) and plays like She Stoops to Conquer (1773).
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) - Known for his literary criticism, biographical works, and the compilation of the influential Dictionary of the English Language (1755).
William Congreve (1670 - 1729) - He was a prominent playwright and poet during the Restoration period in England, known for his comedies of manners, such as "The Way of the World" and "Love for Love." His works are characterized by wit, satire, and sharp observation of society, typical of the Restoration era's literary style.