Modernism and the Critical Spirit

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Theory, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy
Cover of the book Modernism and the Critical Spirit by Eugene Goodheart, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Eugene Goodheart ISBN: 9781351309103
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 17, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Eugene Goodheart
ISBN: 9781351309103
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 17, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Complaints about the decline of critical standards in literature and culture in general have been voiced for much of the twentieth century. These have extended from F.R. Leavis's laments for a "lost center of intelligence and urbane spirit," to current opposition to the predominance of radical critical theory in contemporary literature departments. Humanist criticism, which has as its object the quality of life as well as works of art, may well lack authority in the contemporary world. Even amid the disruptions of the industrial revolution, nineteenth-century humanists such as Matthew Arnold, John Ruskin, and Thomas Carlyle could assume a positive order of value and shared habits of imaginative perception and understanding between writers and readers. Eugene Goodheart argues that, by contrast, contemporary criticism is infused with the skepticism of modernist aesthetics. It has willfully rejected the very idea of moral authority.Goodheart starts from the premise that questions about the moral authority of literature and criticism often turn upon a prior question of what happens when the sacred disappears or is subjected to the profane. He focuses on contending spiritual views, in particular the dialectic between the Protestant-inspired, largely English humanist tradition of Carlyle, Ruskin, Arnold, and D.H. Lawrence and the decay of Catholicism represented by James Joyce and T.S. Eliot. Goodheart argues that literary modernism, in distancing itself from natural and social vitality, tends to render suspect all privileged positions. It thereby undermines the critical act, which assumes the priority of a particular set of values. Goodheart makes his case by analyzing the work of a variety of novelists, poets, and critics, nineteenth century and contemporary. He blends literary theory and practical criticism.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Complaints about the decline of critical standards in literature and culture in general have been voiced for much of the twentieth century. These have extended from F.R. Leavis's laments for a "lost center of intelligence and urbane spirit," to current opposition to the predominance of radical critical theory in contemporary literature departments. Humanist criticism, which has as its object the quality of life as well as works of art, may well lack authority in the contemporary world. Even amid the disruptions of the industrial revolution, nineteenth-century humanists such as Matthew Arnold, John Ruskin, and Thomas Carlyle could assume a positive order of value and shared habits of imaginative perception and understanding between writers and readers. Eugene Goodheart argues that, by contrast, contemporary criticism is infused with the skepticism of modernist aesthetics. It has willfully rejected the very idea of moral authority.Goodheart starts from the premise that questions about the moral authority of literature and criticism often turn upon a prior question of what happens when the sacred disappears or is subjected to the profane. He focuses on contending spiritual views, in particular the dialectic between the Protestant-inspired, largely English humanist tradition of Carlyle, Ruskin, Arnold, and D.H. Lawrence and the decay of Catholicism represented by James Joyce and T.S. Eliot. Goodheart argues that literary modernism, in distancing itself from natural and social vitality, tends to render suspect all privileged positions. It thereby undermines the critical act, which assumes the priority of a particular set of values. Goodheart makes his case by analyzing the work of a variety of novelists, poets, and critics, nineteenth century and contemporary. He blends literary theory and practical criticism.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Governmentality, Biopower, and Everyday Life by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book The Conspiracy of Feelings and The Little Theatre of the Green Goose by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Modern Egypt by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Comparative Inquiry and Educational Policy Making by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book The Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book New Era - New Religions by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book The Victorians and the Eighteenth Century by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book 'Ecstatic Sound' by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Society Shaped by Theology by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Marx and the New Individual (RLE Marxism) by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book The Essential Guide to the Internet for Health Professionals by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Empire-building and Empire-builders by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Modern Motherhood and Women’s Dual Identities by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book African American Communication by Eugene Goodheart
Cover of the book Unrespectable Radicals? by Eugene Goodheart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy