The Rise of English
Book •
Terry Eagleton's The Rise of English examines how the academic study of English literature developed as a discipline and the ideological forces shaping its institutionalization.
Eagleton explores the social class dynamics, professional interests, and cultural politics that influenced the rise of English departments, arguing that literary study can be complicit in broader social structures.
He also reflects critically on claims that humanistic education inherently produces moral improvement, using historical examples to complicate that narrative.
Eagleton's lively and polemical style situates literary scholarship within debates about power, taste, and ethics, making the book a notable intervention in cultural critique.
Eagleton explores the social class dynamics, professional interests, and cultural politics that influenced the rise of English departments, arguing that literary study can be complicit in broader social structures.
He also reflects critically on claims that humanistic education inherently produces moral improvement, using historical examples to complicate that narrative.
Eagleton's lively and polemical style situates literary scholarship within debates about power, taste, and ethics, making the book a notable intervention in cultural critique.
Mentioned by
Mentioned in 0 episodes
Mentioned by a host as an example critiquing the idea that humanistic learning ensures moral behavior, referencing Eagleton's observation about Nazis reading literature.
Pedantry with Arnoud Visser
