Aspects of Neo-Classicism and the Enlightenment (ca. 1630-1780)

1. Stress on reason and the scientific method.
2. A belief in the perfection of human nature and society; universally valid principles of nature and society are discoverable
3. Even faith is rational; God is reasonable and obeys accepted rational standards. (As a result, this leads many to discount or disbelieve entirely any emphasis on the supernatural)
4. A reliance on models of classical Greece and Rome (e.g. the three unities)
5. Reverence for order and accepted rules.
6. Stress on good taste, decorum, unity, harmony, proportion, and grace in art. Art’s purpose is "to teach" and "to delight."
7. Stress on public life, the role of tradition, and sociability which stress codes of manners and networks of dependency.
8. Traditional hierarchical relationships are (slowly) giving way to republican and mercantile models of government and economics.
9. Distrust of invention and extreme displays of emotion, an interest in sentiment and sublimity. The comic is intended to mock lapses in these ideals.