Which writing style became the preferred approach in 18th-century Britain?

Which writing style became the preferred approach in 18th-century Britain?

• A. Romanticism
• B. Neoclassicism
• C. Realism
• D. Modernism

Answer: (B)

Neoclassicism—the drive to imitate ancient Greek and Roman models, with an emphasis on reason, order, and clear form—became the preferred writing approach in 18th-century Britain. During the Enlightenment and the Augustan era, writers favored balanced structure, polished diction, and works that pursued moral or social aims through wit and restraint. This produced forms like heroic couplets and a taste for classical genres, shaping standards of taste that dominated literary culture. Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism come later, with Romanticism shifting toward emotion and imagination and Realism and Modernism developing in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Neoclassicism—the drive to imitate ancient Greek and Roman models, with an emphasis on reason, order, and clear form—became the preferred writing approach in 18th-century Britain. During the Enlightenment and the Augustan era, writers favored balanced structure, polished diction, and works that pursued moral or social aims through wit and restraint. This produced forms like heroic couplets and a taste for classical genres, shaping standards of taste that dominated literary culture. Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism come later, with Romanticism shifting toward emotion and imagination and Realism and Modernism developing in the 19th and 20th centuries.