Isaac Newton published Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687, presenting his laws of motion and universal gravitation. This work mathematically demonstrated that the same physical laws govern celestial and terrestrial phenomena, completing the Scientific Revolution's transformation of natural philosophy. Newton's mechanistic universe operated according to predictable mathematical principles, challenging earlier mystical and qualitative understandings of nature.

Newtonian physics inspired 18th-century poets like Alexander Pope, who celebrated the orderly universe in verse, while later Romantic poets reacted against its perceived reductionism. The clockwork universe metaphor influenced neoclassical poetry's emphasis on reason, balance, and universal truths. However, poets like Blake criticized Newton's vision as limiting imagination and spiritual perception. The tension between scientific rationalism and poetic imagination became a central dynamic in modern literature, with poets negotiating between empirical observation and subjective experience.