The essay which serves as the introductory chapter to Terry Eagleton’s seminal work Literary Theory: An Introduction (1983), is a cornerstone of modern cultural studies. Eagleton, a renowned Marxist critic, dismantles the idea of "Literature" as an objective, timeless category, arguing instead that its "rise" as an academic discipline was a calculated political maneuver in 18th and 19th-century Britain. The Ideological Void and the Death of Religion
As Eagleton famously writes, English Literature was seen as "an ideal solution" to the crisis of the late Victorian era. It was: Terry eagleton the rise of english pdf
"The Rise of English" has been widely praised for its insightful analysis of the complex relationships between language, literature, and history. The book has been influential in shaping the field of English studies, encouraging scholars to reevaluate the discipline's assumptions and practices. "The Rise of English," The essay which serves
The beauty of Literary Theory is that after Eagleton tears down the old building, he spends the rest of the book showing you new foundations (Marxism, Feminism, Psychoanalysis, Post-Structuralism). If you stop at "The Rise of English," you risk becoming a cynical nihilist. Eagleton is a Marxist humanist; he wants you to hate the ideology of English so that you can love literature properly. It was: "The Rise of English" has been
"The growing tide of religious scepticism... had left a gaping hole at the centre of dominant ideology. It was not, perhaps, entirely coincidental that the word ‘culture’... had once referred to the ‘worship’ of God."
Eagleton references the 1921 Newbolt Report, which officially argued for making English the core of the national curriculum. Its goal? To "remedy" the spiritual and social failings of the working class. It was a tool of social control dressed in educational reform.
: Eagleton traces how the Victorian era saw English literature as a "moralizing" force to pacify the working class as traditional religious influence waned.