This helped the ruling class shape thoughts Eagleton observes Literature in the meaning we inherited is an ideology He shows that literature was not neutral It became a tool of ideology Its purpose was social control and order At this point English was not yet powerful The Romantic Period and Imagination The Romantic Period - brought major change Literature became about creativity and imagination Poets became visionaries and deep thinkers They fought against industrial society through art Poetry showed emotions truth and protest But some writers escaped real life Romanticism had both protest and retreat It helped make English about feelings and values Eagleton shows that literature became political here Symbols and imagination were tools of vision He says literature was a new force This period shaped modern literary meaning English Replaced Failing Religion In the th century religion lost power People stopped believing as they did before Science and change broke old faith The ruling class needed a new guide So literature became the moral teacher English gave values emotions and unity It replaced religion in daily life Eagleton writes If one were asked to provide a single explanation for the growth of English studies one could do worse than reply the failure of religion English gave hope in hard times It became a calm guiding subject Literature touched hearts like religion once did It became a soft but strong control English and Empire Building English also grew with imperial rule British officers studied literature before going abroad They read Shakespeare and Milton proudly This gave them moral and cultural pride Literature showed them as noble rulers Eagleton says it ruled minds not just lands Even colonized students learned English texts This spread British culture and power He writes English Literature rode to power on the back of wartime nationalism English made the empire feel right and natural The language served the political system So English became part of the ruling identity Scrutiny Movement and Its Limits In the th century English became central F R Leavis - led the Scrutiny A Quarterly Review journal He wanted to save culture through literature He praised books with deep moral power They rejected mass media and popular art They trained people to read deeply But they ignored real social problems They avoided class and political struggles Eagleton says The whole Scrutiny project was absurd They wanted to go back to harmony But that unity never truly existed So their project was limited and narrow To conclude Terry Eagleton shows that English evolved with power It was not just for beauty English replaced religion and supported the empire It helped shape minds and society His essay makes us question literature s role English rose as a political and moral force