ENGL 292 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Capital, Terry Eagleton

• School: Queen's University
• Department: English
• Course: ENGL 292
• Professor: Maggie Berg

Document Summary

Liberal humanism, the belief that literature is a communication between minds (author, reader) Criticism, the interpretation of texts, discussion of particular works and authors. Theory, uncovers the assumptions, values and beliefs that underlie particular interpretations of texts. Literature takes the role of replacing religion as something that contains the public, creates the morality for them that religion used to creates. He argues that literature is a replacement for religion. The study of literature instigated by the middle classes, controlling the working classes. Literature performed the function of enabling different classes to understand each other, in an emotional way. The fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374) of (cid:862)e(cid:374)glish literature(cid:863) a(cid:272)(cid:272)ordi(cid:374)g to eagleton: It (cid:272)ould u(cid:374)ite the differe(cid:374)t so(cid:272)ial (cid:272)lasses a(cid:374)d pro(cid:448)ide the sa(cid:373)e so(cid:272)ial (cid:862)(cid:272)e(cid:373)e(cid:374)t(cid:863). It provided vicarious experience, or escape so that real living conditions could be ignored. It prevented people from engaging in political action.