The Social Mission of English Criticism, 1848-1932 (Oxford English Monographs)

Examining the transformation of English literary criticism, this book focuses on the social objectives of the pioneer critics and educationalists who established modern English studies. Of particular concern is their view of literary culture as a civilizing influence capable of reconcilingclass conflict, and their desire to preserve this culture in the face of the new dangers of "mass society"--advertising, pulp fiction, and the cinema.