Comedy taste and cognition in the western literary and artistic fashion of the eighteenth century

Abstract

In the 18th century, enlightenment thinkers who advocated rationality emphasized that literature and art should not only pursue beauty, but also embody truth and goodness, focus on linking with morality and indoctrination, and support the role of improving society. Comedy taste and cognition in this cultural process, it has become a prominent literary and artistic trend, but it is rarely discussed. The awakening and rise of the comedic spirit quietly took place in the 18th century, moving from the tradition of laughter to the aesthetic reflection of a mixture of tragedy and comedy. The rise of the subject’s comic consciousness leads the trend of western literature and art and becomes a real sword to stab the feudal autocratic culture. The reversal of comedy and the revival of Shakespeare have become a strong proof of the pursuit of humanity and moral expression by the literary and artistic fashion of the 18th century.