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Diderot and d'Alembert JL in France published ‘Encyclopedia , or Dictionary of
Sciences, Arts and Crafts’. This unprecedented edition became the ‘family tree for
all sciences and arts, which indicated the origin of each branch of our knowledge
and their relationship with each other’. ‘Encyclopedia’ brought together in one

publication the humanitarian, technical and natural scientific knowledge of that
time, some theoretical issues and practical experience.
The Enlightenment philosophers saw their vocation in the formation of

public opinion through enlightening the minds of the contemporaries, their moral
and aesthetic education. The Enlightenment figures worked on theoretical
questions of aesthetics, art etc. In the plastic arts and music the tastes were affected

in the XVIIIth century by the the aristocratic Rococo - elegant, exquisitely
pretentious outwardly serene, but a quite somber style, the classicism remained in a
powerful position ( J. David). Few artists turned to the problems of ‘third stratum’

(JB Chardin, JB Dream, W. Hohardening ), demonstrating a realistic direction in
their works. The main art form in which the Enlightenment realized its aesthetic
tastes was literature, especially epic and dramatic genres. New genres of drama
(‘tearful comedy’, bourgeois drama) where ethical standards were embodied in the

image of goodies ‘natural’ and virtuous, representing the ‘third stratum’ (dramas
by GE Lessing) appeared. Among the distinguished philosophical epic genres one

should mention a novel (Voltaire ‘Candide’), satirical instructive essay (Diderot
‘Rameau's Nephew’), a family household novel (S. Richardson ‘Pamela’), a ‘novel
of education’ (J. Goethe ‘Years of training of Wilhelm master’). Literature had a
blatantly biased character and didactic orientations that was evident from the title

page (S. Richardson ‘Pamela’).
Indeed, the works of artists had a huge public outcry that reached its tragic
peak. After the publication of the novel JW Goethe ‘The Sorrows of Young

Werther’ across Europe one could could find many young people not only wearing
a blue coat, yellow trousers and Werther vest, those who imitated the hero’s end –
his suicide. Thus, the democratic nature of the Enlightenment epoch was closely

linked to the social life, and even determined it rather than reflected.
The Great French bourgeois revolution of 1789 - 1794 was the real
embodiment of the Enlightenment ideas, held under the slogan ‘Liberty, Equality,

Fraternity’: the freedom of thinking, religion, release from prejudice and
subordination; equality, denial of the social class hierarchy, rights of everyone to
develop their skills and participate in public life. The ideas of the state system of
the future kingdom of reason in the Enlightenment were different: some were more

inclined to the republican form of government, while others saw the enlightened
monarchy (Prussian King Frederick II, Russian Empress Catherine II) as an ideal
model.

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