http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/18th-century Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:29:44 -0400 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:29:44 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1948/fragile-aesthetics-the-problematics-behind-thomas-gainsboroughs-landscape-paintings By Connor E. Yen - The 17th and 18th centuries saw a wide proliferation of aesthetic discourse through which the picturesque emerged to capture the type of beauty derived from the exchange of in vivo vigor for the spirit of artistic medium. While the metaphysical project of 18th century aesthetic theory masquerades as apolitical, placing Thomas Gainsborough’s landscape paintings in dialogue with picturesque beauty reveals an underlying anxiety of peasant encroachment and class conflict. This paper parses the complex interplay between the “smooth” and the “rough” in Gainsborough&rsquo... Fri, 01 Apr 2022 01:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1948/fragile-aesthetics-the-problematics-behind-thomas-gainsboroughs-landscape-paintings http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1523/the-sentimentality-of-sternes-tristram-shandy-a-mind-and-body-story By Amritpal Singh - The literature of the 18th century includes parodies, satires, and denunciations; however, the role of sentimentality usually comes second when discussing the literary movements of the century. The author of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Laurence Sterne, is commonly known as he “who introduced the present mode of sentimental writing” (The Sentimental Magazine). Among authors such as Jonathan Swift, Henry Fielding, and Daniel Defoe his novel stands as a text outside the ordinary and invokes as much empathy as it does laughter. The text continually makes use of... Tue, 31 Jan 2017 09:35 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1523/the-sentimentality-of-sternes-tristram-shandy-a-mind-and-body-story http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/301/female-writers-in-the-18th-century-the-power-of-imagination By Natasha L. Richter - Female writers of the Eighteenth Century often focused on the role of the female imagination in novel writing, poetry composition, and as an outlet for temporarily escaping a harsh world.  In Maria, or The Wrongs of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft focused mostly on the latter notion, the ability of a woman to employ her imagination in transcending the physical prison of an insane asylum, as well as the metaphorical prisons of a tyrannical marriage and an oppressive world.  Meanwhile, Anna Letitia Barbauld emphasized the artwork which the female imagination can fashion in her poem “Washing... Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:10 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/301/female-writers-in-the-18th-century-the-power-of-imagination http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/24/friendship-and-conflict-the-relationship-of-the-us-founding-fathers By Jeffrey M. Estano - The founding fathers’ admiration of antiquity dramatically impacted their civic worldview, and in turn, their leadership. They went to great lengths to live out classical virtues and to imitate classical figures of the past. Samuel Adams, an educated gentleman, obsessively tried to embody republican values by forsaking personal wealth and fame. George Washington, like the Roman hero Cincinatus before him, wished only to return to his farm at Mt. Vernon after his victories in war.[4] John Adams’ adherence to stern republican values led him to reflect skeptically upon the licentious,... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/24/friendship-and-conflict-the-relationship-of-the-us-founding-fathers