How did Enlightenment ideas influence Portuguese writers in the 18th century?

In the 18th century, Enlightenment ideas significantly influenced Portuguese writers and intellectuals, serving as a catalyst for reform and a challenge to the established aristocracy. This intellectual movement, often characterized by the influence of French classicism, encouraged a critical approach to traditional education and social structures.1

Key influences and developments included:

• Educational and Scientific Reform: Thinkers like Luís António Verney, in his work Verdadeiro método de estudar (1746), criticized prevailing educational methods. Intellectuals who traveled to France and England returned to Portugal to advocate for reforms in education and science, which subsequently permeated other branches of letters.1
• Literary Societies: New societies known as arcádias were established to revive poetry by promoting a return to Classicism and cooperating in broader reform efforts.1
• Philosophical Inquiry: Writers such as Matias Aires contributed to the era’s intellectual climate with works like Reflexões sobre a vaidade (1752), which offered a skeptical, moral critique of human nature.1
• Institutional Support: The founding of the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1779 fostered research into Portuguese literary history, gathering many of the era's most notable scholars.1

These Enlightenment-inspired reforms were also reflected in the broader political landscape under the Marquis de Pombal, who implemented "enlightened" despotism, including the reform of the University of Coimbra.2