What is the neoclassical period?

The neoclassical period was the time period from 1660 to the early 1800s where artists and authors took inspiration from classical Greek and Roman arts. It is a period that essentially tried to revive the classical works of ancient Greece and Rome in the visual arts while also expanding in literature and printmaking.

The neoclassical period is when novels were introduced and the middle class spent much time discussing articles published in popular periodicals. This is the time period when reading went from being an upper class leisure activity to an activity for everybody. The neoclassical period and romanticism period began to combine near the end of the neoclassical period.