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Pathos
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
Reflections on the Revolution in France was published in 1790, on the eve of the French Revolution. Burke's writing reflects on the relationship between the English and the French people, comparing England's Glorious Revolution to the revolution in France. Burke was a noted anti-revolutionary and defended the motivations of the Glorious Revolution as being better than those of the French Revolution.
Indeed, revolution was on the mind in this historical period: the American Revolution had only recently come to an end in 1783, concluding with the formation of the United States of America and the weakening of the British Empire. In 1791, enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue revolted in what would be later known as the Haitian Revolution. Succeeding against all odds against the French and British colonizers, the Haitians ultimately won their independence in 1804, becoming the first ever group of formerly enslaved people to establish their own country.
Given the frequency of revolutionary activities during this historical time period, many wealthy, educated, and titled persons living in Britain and benefiting from the empire's exploitation would no doubt have been concerned at the slightest hint of any uprising in continental Europe. Burke's concerns, though more nuanced than simple bourgois anxiety, are no doubt reflective of the worries many members of the propertied, ruling class felt in the late 18th century.
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