Augustan Age

Augustan Age, term referring to the era of Augustus, ruler of Rome from 27 bc to ad 14. The Augustan age was noted for a number of classical writers, including Horace, Ovid, and Virgil, and it is considered the Golden Age of Latin literature.

The reign of Queen Anne in early 18th-century England is also commonly called an Augustan age. During this period, the satirist Jonathan Swift, the poet Alexander Pope, and the essayists Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele were among the major literary figures. Their neoclassical style employed Roman forms, such as the ode, and emphasized common sense, moderation, reason over emotion and elegance over brevity. See also English Literature.