Step 1: Understand the term 'Augustan'.
The term 'Augustan' refers to the period in the 18th century, especially in English literature, characterized by its imitation of the style and themes of the Roman poets of the Augustan Age, like Horace and Virgil.
Step 2: Analyze each option.
- (A) 17th: Incorrect. The Augustan Age refers to the 18th century, not the 17th.
- (B) 18th: Correct. The Augustan Age is most commonly associated with the 18th century in literature, particularly with writers like Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift.
- (C) 19th: Incorrect. The 19th century was the Romantic period, not the Augustan Age.
- (D) 20th: Incorrect. The 20th century saw modernist literature, not the Augustan style.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The name 'Augustan' was given to the 18th century in English literary history.