Chivalry in Edmund Burkes Reflections on the Revolution...

Chivalry in Edmund Burkes Reflections on the Revolution in France ...But the age of chivalry is gone... Amidst a wealth of metaphors and apocalyptic maxims, this line is perhaps the most memorable from Edmund Burkes Reflections on the Revolution in France. He masterfully employs the concept of chivalry to express his anti-revolutionary sentiment, and he dramatically connects it to images of land, sex, birth and money to express the widespread disorder that accompanies a loss of chivalry. Nowhere is this idea more explicit than in the following passage: ...–But the age of chivalry is gone. —That of sophisters, oeconomists, and calculators, has succeeded and the glory of Europe is extinguished for ever. Never, never more,†¦show more content†¦What it does imply is that the glory and bond of Europe as a conglomerate in which England and France are leaders may have been severed. Furthermore, it is unlikely that Burke believes either of the aforementioned statements. Subsequent lines in the essay like, ...we still bear the stamp of our forefathers and We have not (as I conceive) lost the generosity and dignity of the fourteenth century... suggest that English society still clings to its heritage and manners to some extent (18). Additionally, one cannot overlook the prophetic nature of Burkes claims; he predicts what will happen if chivalry is lost. He and the reader both recognize that chivalry survives at least in the minds of men and sometimes even in the practice of men (like Burke who acts chivalrous by defending chivalry), but also because Burkes motivation for writing his essay would be significantly diminished if the revivification of chivalry were an impossibility. Similarly, if he truly believed that the glory of Europe were gone forever and the ties permanently severed, it is less likely that he would choose a Frenchman as the recipient of his philo sophical letter. To comprehend Burkes argument based on chivalry, one must ascertain the meaning that chivalry holds for him. The language of the passage at hand unveils terms such as loyalty, dignified obedience and proudShow MoreRelated Edmund Burke and Thomas Paines Views on the French Revolution645 Words   |  3 PagesEdmund Burke and Thomas Paines Views on the French Revolution Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine were two of the several strongly-opinionated individuals writing back-and-forth in response to what the others were saying about the French Revolution. Burke, a critic, writes first. Paine, a supporter, responds. In the excerpt from Reflections on the Revolution in France, Burke argues in favor of King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette. When Marie was murdered, Burke says, â€Å"As aRead MoreThe Vampyre By John Polidori Essay1355 Words   |  6 Pagesstory appears to be responding to the times it was published in, times of immense social and technological change which Romantics such as Polidori tackled through their writings. The drivers of this disruptive change during Polidori’s time are two revolutions, that is, the Industrial and French -- both of which brought the Romantics much cause for lamentation or celebration. As such, a couple questions appear when considering these depictions, that is, what is Polidori doing with these depictions, isRead More Gentlemanly Ideals in Emma and Reflections on the Revolution in France2144 Words   |  9 PagesGentlemanly Ideals in Emma and Reflections on the Revolution in France The last two centuries have been full of drastic changes in the human condition. Today, we tend to overlook just how drastic those changes were. Britain during the late 18th Century provides an excellent example because both the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution were chipping away at the established social order. In Britain, the aristocracy had ruled in relative stability since the medieval period. There were