The Idea of the Clerisy in the Nineteenth Century - Softcover

Knights, Ben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521142490 ISBN 13: 9780521142496

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2010

Synopsis

This book is about the development in nineteenth-century England of the idea of a secular intellectual elite - the 'clerisy'. These intellectuals wanted to free themselves from the pressures of material conditioning and be in touch with transcendent values. This elite would be capable of seeing and valuing the best in the national cultural heritage and raising the standard of intellectual life. Dr Knights considers five major writers who shared this concern: Coleridge, Carlyle, Matthew Arnold, J. S. Mill and J. H. Newman. He finds important similarities, arising out of shared problems and assumptions. The status of literary culture was still such that to many of its practitioners a 'clerisy' offered the only hope of reversing a trend towards cultural and social disintegration. Dr Knights goes on to examine the influence of the idea upon the reorganisation of university curricula in the latter part of the century.

About this title

Book Description:

This book is about the development in nineteenth-century England of the idea of a secular intellectual elite - the 'clerisy'. These intellectuals wanted to be in touch with transcendent values and raise the standard of intellectual life. Dr Knights examines five major writers that have important similarities, arising out of shared feelings on the subject of intellectual values.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0521142490
• ISBN 13: 9780521142496
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288