Terry Eagleton The Rise Of English Pdf -

Find the PDF. Print it out. Read it against the grain. And the next time you hear someone say literature "makes you a better person," you’ll know exactly what is at stake.

Eagleton highlights how early advocates of English studies, such as George Gordon, openly admitted that philology and literature could serve as a neutralizing political force. By exposing the working class to the "greatness" of national literature, the state could foster a shared national identity that transcended class divisions. It was a cost-effective method of social pacification: reading poetry was a solitary, contemplative act that did not lend itself to collective union organizing or revolution. 3. Imperialism and Education Abroad Terry eagleton the rise of english pdf

By the end of the First World War, the old Victorian certainties lay shattered. The horrors of mechanized warfare created an acute spiritual crisis, and English literature finally breached the walls of Oxford and Cambridge. This era gave rise to F.R. Leavis and the Scrutiny movement, which Eagleton analyzes with a mix of admiration and sharp critique. The Cambridge Revolution Find the PDF

What political or corporate interests are served by the way we teach humanities today? And the next time you hear someone say

As church pews emptied, British society risked ideological destabilization. Eagleton argues that the state deliberately cultivated the study of English literature to fill this ideological void. Literature possessed unique qualities that made it an ideal substitute for religion:

Originally, English was not considered a serious subject for elite universities like Oxford and Cambridge, which favored the "manly" rigors of the Classics (Greek and Latin).