What was the importance of coffee houses during the enlightenment?

The London coffeehouses of the 17th & 18th centuries were the engines of creation that helped drive the Enlightenment – the European intellectual movement that emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition. Their history is a fascinating one.

What was the purpose of coffee houses?

From a cultural standpoint, coffeehouses largely serve as centers of social interaction: a coffeehouse provides patrons with a place to congregate, talk, read, write, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups.

How did coffee impact the enlightenment?

The coffee house was a great hub of enlightenment era culture. People would come into the coffee house, they would hangout, they would share ideas, they would come from different disciplines, a whole number of crucial events in enlightenment culture have a coffee house somewhere in them one way or another.

What is coffee house in literature?

Coffeehouses were a place for men to discuss current issues. Many coffeehouses became popular because of famous poets and writers who frequented them. For example, the first picture is of Lloyds of London. Will’s, which became famous from John Dryden, an English poet, probably looked similar to this.

Were coffeehouses in the public sphere of the Enlightenment?

In regard to English coffeehouses, there is contention among historians as to the extent to which coffeehouses should be considered within the public sphere of the Enlightenment. Dorinda Outram places English coffeehouses within an intellectual public sphere, focusing on the transfusion of enlightened ideas.

What happened to coffeehouses in the eighteenth century?

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Golden Age of salons and coffeehouses was over. The decline of the coffeehouses was directly correlated with the rise of the club. While there had been clubs meeting at the coffeehouses since the 1650’s, coffeehouses themselves eventually transformed into clubs.

Why did so many different types of people enter coffeehouses?

It was possible for so many different types of people to enter coffeehouses because they were places of business where anyone who could afford to pay the penny for a cup of coffee could enter—even those one would rather not associate with.

Are coffeehouses and salons egalitarian?

Although neither coffeehouses nor salons were as egalitarian as some made them out to be, they were nonetheless important centers of social mixing and egalitarianism for their time. However, coffeehouses and salons also reveal slightly different aspects of the Enlightenment public sphere.