The Function of CriticismThis wide-ranging book argues that criticism emerged in early bourgeois society as a central feature of a "public sphere" in which political, ethical, and literary judgements could mingle under the benign rule of reason. The disintegration of this fragile culture brought on a crisis in criticism, whose history since the 18th century has been fraught with ambivalence and anxiety. Eagleton's account embraces Addison and Steele, Johnson and the 19-century reviewers, such critics as Arnold and Stephen, the heyday of Scrutiny and New Criticism, and finally the proliferation of avant-garde literary theories such as deconstructionism. The Function of Criticism is nothing less than a history and critique of the "critical institution" itself. Eagleton's judgements on individual critics are sharp and illuminating, which his general argument raises crucial questions about the relations between language, literature and politics. |
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Contents
Section 1 | 7 |
Section 2 | 9 |
Section 3 | 29 |
Section 4 | 45 |
Section 5 | 69 |
Section 6 | 85 |
Section 7 | 107 |
Section 8 | 125 |
Other editions - View all
The Function of Criticism: From the Spectator to Post-structuralism Terry Eagleton No preview available - 1996 |
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academic Addison and Steele aesthetic Alexander Kluge amateur argued Arnold audience authority autonomy becomes Beljame bour bourgeois public sphere Bruss Carlyle century classical public sphere clerisy common consensus counterpublic sphere critical judgement criticism's cultural deconstruction discourse disinterested dissociation early eighteenth effect eighteenth-century England English enlightened essay experience F.R. Leavis force Function of Criticism geois Habermas Heyck historical Hohendahl Ibid ideological idiom institutions intellectual interests irony Jane Jack John Barrell journals Jurgen Habermas language late capitalism Leavis's Leslie Stephen letters liberal humanism literary criticism literary production literary theory literature London mass Matthew Arnold mediator moral norms once Oskar Negt Paperback periodicals political popular practice precisely professional public opinion rational readership reading public realm Review role sage Samuel Johnson Scrutiny Scrutiny's sense signifi social relations socialist society structures Tatler Terry Eagleton Thomas Macaulay tion traditional transcendental truth Victorian whole William Hazlitt Williams Williams's writes
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Function of Criticism Volume 6 of Radical thinkers Verso radical thinkers |
| Author | Terry Eagleton |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Verso, 2005 |
| ISBN | 1844670554, 9781844670550 |
| Length | 133 pages |
| Subjects | › Philosophy / Political |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |