The Rise of English

Essay | Terry Eagleton
Back to Hub
Contents

What, according to Eagleton, was the literary background of eighteenth-century England?

Premium

What, according to Eagleton, was the literary background of eighteenth-century England? [NU: 2018] 

Terry Eagleton (1943–present) is a leading literary critic. In "The Rise of English" (1983), he provides an in-depth explanation of literature. Like other critics, he shows how it connects with society. Eagleton discusses 18th-century England. He says literature had a social role. It shaped morals, values, and class control. Literature was not just for beauty. Let us move to the main discussion.

Literature Meant More Than Poetry: In the 18th century, the term "literature" contained a wide range of meanings. It was not just about poems. It included essays, sermons, and letters. History and moral writing were important too. Fiction was not yet widely respected. The novel was called a low form. Poetry was not the main concern. All serious writing was seen as literature. Eagleton shows that literature was not fixed. Its meaning changed slowly over time. This wide idea of literature supported order. It helped spread upper-class moral ideas.

Literat

ure Reflected Class Taste: Only upper-class writing was called literary. Popular songs, ballads, or plays were ignored. Street culture was not taken seriously. Literature supported elite class values only. This made literature a class-based idea. Eagleton explains that taste was ideological. He says,

"Literature, in the meaning of the word we have inherited, is an ideology."

So, literature was not innocent or neutral. It carried class views and social control. It promoted politeness, manners, and obedience. Thus, literature silently helped the ruling class.

Literature Taught Manners and Order: After the Civil War, society needed unity. The ruling class feared division and protest. So, literature was used to calm people. It taught rules, taste, and good behavior. Moral writings guided how to live a proper life. Periodicals spread the values of the elite. Coffee houses and journals trained people morally. Eagleton writes,

"English was literally the poor man's Classics."

The poor could not read Latin or Greek. English was their only moral guide. It helped to build national identity slowly. So, literature was more than personal enjoyment.

Literature and the Idea of Unity: The goal was to achieve social peace and unity. Art was used to spread this idea. Reason, harmony, and nature were key words. Writers praised rules and order in life. They did not challenge class or power. They showed ideal life, not real life. Poetry and essays taught control and calm. Eagleton notes,

"The rise of English is more or less concomitant with an historic shift in the very meaning of the term' moral.”

Morality became about feelings, not just rules. Literature trained emotions through soft lessons. It shaped the moral sense of readers.

Literature as a Social Training Tool: Literature served a larger social purpose. It was not only for beauty. It was a tool for shaping society. People learned loyalty, patience, and values from texts. Even workers read to gain respectability. Writers helped people accept their roles. This made society more stable and united. Eagleton says,

"Like religion, literature works primarily by emotion and experience…"

So, literature became a kind of religion. It touched hearts and formed behavior. Thus, 18th-century literature trained minds and morals. It worked silently to support the system.

To sum up, Terry Eagleton shows that literature shaped 18th-century life. It supported class power and moral training. It taught order, unity, and calmness. It was not neutral or innocent. Eagleton's study reveals literature's deep social role. It helped build values for the ruling class.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to access the full content

Upgrade to Premium
From this writer
T
Terry Eagleton
Literary Writer
More Notes

from The Rise of English