Today, English departments are in crisis. Enrollments are plummeting. Administrators shut down "useless" humanities majors. Eagleton’s essay explains why: The university no longer needs a "spiritual substitute." The market is the new religion. STEM and business degrees produce workers; English produces critics. A system does not want to be criticized.
He writes that literature was promoted as a "saving grace" – a realm of universal human values, empathy, and sensibility that could "tame" the barbarism of the industrial poor. Where the Bible had once offered moral guidance, the works of Shakespeare, Milton, and George Eliot would now offer "spiritual" sustenance. Terry eagleton the rise of english pdf
In "The Rise of English," Terry Eagleton argues that academic English literature originated not as a neutral discipline, but as an ideological tool for social control during the Victorian era. He contends that literature served as a substitute for religion, promoting shared cultural values and "timeless truths" to maintain social cohesion while pacifying the working class. Access the full text of Literary Theory: An Introduction through the Internet Archive . Today, English departments are in crisis
Eagleton begins by tracing the emergence of "English" to the decline of religious authority in the Victorian era. As traditional Christianity lost its grip on the working class due to the pressures of the Industrial Revolution and scientific advancement, the British ruling class faced an ideological crisis. Eagleton’s essay explains why: The university no longer
It’s a must-read for anyone trying to understand why we even have an "English Department" today. You can find several summary guides and PDF versions online through academic repositories.
The Rise of English has had a significant impact on literary studies, encouraging scholars to think critically about the development of English as a discipline and its relationship to social, cultural, and historical contexts.