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Hello at the start of the 18th century more precisely in 1711 a new idea took wing

It was complete with a philosophy a literature and very soon society was in its thrall the idea was

Politeness when Queen Anne was on the throne and the spectator was in the coffee houses

Politeness surprising as it may seem to us now was part of a social revolution

So how did the idea of politeness challenge the accepted norms of behavior and how did a notion of how to behave affect the great wealth of 18th century culture

We'd need to discuss politeness at David Wooten professor of history at the University of York

John Mullin senior lecturer in English at University College London and Amanda Vickery

Read in history at Royal Holloway University of London and

Amanda Vickery at the end of the 17th century before we come to that great 1711 day

What was the what were the guidelines for best behavior?

I think there's really a

Courtney model of behavior which has been well established in the 17th century

But at the end of the 17th century there are three major political events which changed the map of

Culture and redraw the map of politics

1688 the so-called glorious revolution when

Parliament invites William of Orange to the throne rejecting the incumbent King James the second the act of toleration of

1689 which acknowledges Protestant descent and tries to draw line under a century of religious strife and

Finally the lapse of the licensing act of 1695 which ends political censorship effectively and

Unleash is a tide of print and those three things together

recreate well

...